I have shifted to my own domain www.talkhaba.com where I publish news and views regularly. I hope that you will find the new blog more interesting and productive.

Regards,

Abu Saad Khan (Talkhaba)

Robert Anderson teaches economics and political science at a U.S. community college. He served in the U.S. Air Force (like Bruce Gagnon) and saw combat during the 1967-68 Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Later, he helped form the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. He traveled to Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in 1973 to support the indigenous struggles for sovereignty. In 2006 he was arrested and banned from the University of New Mexico for pointing out it was wrong for the university to be supporting the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) without public comment. He is now co-director of Stop the War Machine which has organized major demonstrations opposing Star Wars and the Iraqi war. Bob can be called the Raymond Davis of 60s – Raymond Davis to us Pakistanis is synonymous to CIA Killer Machine.His recent article in Counterpunch titled “I Had Ray Davis’s Job, in Laos 30 Years Ago; Same Cover, Same Lies” led us contact him for an interview for Karachi based newspaper. The original English version is presented her for readers of “Talkhaba”. He sent us his reaction over Raymond Davis release. Please read on:

“The release of Davis in my opinion is just a green light for more killings and assassinations by the US government and the CIA in your country. The pillage and slaughter of Pakistani will increase most likely in the quest of the US for imperial power over your country and region.

The question of justice has been replaced by money. This is the typical way the US works, kill and buy people off.

Pakistan, in my opinion, missed a historic opportunity with Ray Davis to affirm its sovereignty and now has basically returned to its former colonial status, only under the U.S. rather than the British.”

Talkhaba: Since you have been undercover CIA official during Vietnam War, you were a witness to the events during an important part of history. How do you relate the history . . . the working of covert agents of your time to present CIA espionage tactics?

Robert: I tried to paint in my article a picture of the scope of how this is done by various agencies of the US government. I was not an official of the CIA but a regular military man put on loan to the CIA for covert work. It is extensive and way beyond my scope to detail. It involves thousands and thousands of people. There is a lot of literature around on this by others too, especially some ex-CIA agents and people like John Perkins.

Talkhaba: You are the Raymond Davis of the past; your period extends over years. What sorts of tactics were adopted during that period? Were these upgraded with time? If yes, then would you share some details with us?

Robert: You could read up on the Phoenix Program and COINTEL programs and get a good idea of what went on in the 60s. Read of the murder of Fred Hampton, for instance. Ward Churchill has some good books on this too as it relates to Native Americans. I would imagine the tactics have changed some but still also rather simple, assassinations where bribery and threats do not work. The torture of Pvt. Bradley Manning by our military is a good example.

Talkhaba: According to your knowledge how many undercover agents were working in Vietnam? How many agents may be working in Pakistan?

Robert: In Laos and other areas, the reports are: a large number. I have no idea as there is a fuzzy line between the official military people and the covert forces. They are all out for the same goal, to destabilize and corrupt and overthrow governments. Sometimes it is done directly with the military sometimes it is done with covert acts. You must know well the coup in Iran in 1953 by the CIA. That is the model that all the rest of this flows from.

No idea of how many of them must be there in Pakistan but I would think the number is quite big given the key position Pakistan occupies in the U.S. plan for the conquest of Eurasia.

Talkhaba: John Perkin has informed his readers of a special tactic. According to him, they had been using women as a blackmailing tool as well as a source of top secret information. Are similar tactics being used by CIA and FBI? How do you see the use of this tactic in Pakistan?

Robert: I have no such information on the ground knowledge of events in Pakistan but it would not surprise me if this tactic was being used there too.

Talkhaba: How do you see American demand for blanket immunity for Raymond Davis, the CIA operative and killer of two Pakistanis?

Robert: Typical. Deny; cry that he is a victim of the folks who don’t understand the greatness and goodness of US intentions. Just some people don’t get the word they say. It is entirely up to Pakistan to decide what to do.

Talkhaba: Given the capability of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan, some defense analysts assert that terrorist attacks in Pakistan can’t be carried out by Taliban; instead these are planned and perpetrated by CIA? In the light of your experience in Laos, can you endorse and substantiate this assertion?

Robert: It is possible but I don’t know any details. This is done a lot; it is called False Flag operations. The CIA has had plans to kill Americans to get its plans going here too.

Talkhaba: John Perkin in his book “The Secret History of the American Empire” has exposed the World Bank and other monitory organizations as tools of American Imperialism. Do you think CIA, FBI and US secret agencies are working for the same cause on other fronts?

Robert: Of course. They all think the US has a manifest destiny to rule the world, or as some say it, to be the world’s policeman. But what they are after are the resources of other nations.

Talkhaba: Blackwater/Xe Worldwide has been working as CIA’s operative in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior to the advent of these mercenaries, CIA had been doing all this work by itself. What made CIA to out source its work to various operatives like Xe? Are these operatives crueler up to the requirements?

Robert: I suppose to try to hide it from the American and other people. But anyone with awareness knows what is going on.

Talkhaba: CIA has its network in nearly all countries. Are they freely working in all countries alike or, unlike Pakistan, it will be difficult for it to work in the countries having severe relationship with US or relationship based on the principle of equality and respect for each other’s sovereignty?

Robert: From what I can tell they do this to everyone, friend and foe alike.

Talkhaba: How do you see the America’s “War on Terror”? How far is it tarnishing the very image and interest of USA inside and outside?

Robert: It is corrupting our political system from top to bottom.

Talkhaba: Your article published in “Counterpunch” gives the impression that American masses remain ignorant of truth. It’s also believed worldwide that Americans top the list of nations blindly following their rulers. Has your educational system any relevance with this phenomenon or some other causes compose this highly “educated” blind nation?

Robert: Patriotism and religious self-righteousness is what blinds many people here. The educational system is not teaching the truth, mostly myths and lies.

Talkhaba: What is your experience says about 9/11 tragedy. Do you believe it was done by some Muslim Groups? What is our assessment of Al-Quaida and Taliban?

Robert: Seems to be. They don’t like U.S. intervention in their countries.

Talkhaba: Can you give some advice to Pakistan how to get rid of current terrorism?

Robert: More education of the public and help in understanding that the U.S. can be as terroristic, and a problem, as any other group. Stand up strong and don’t let things like Ray Davis go away.

Talkhaba: Is there anything which I haven’t asked and you want to share with our readers?

The followers of Bacha Khan have thrown the nonviolent theory of “ahimsa” into bin. Not only have abandoned centuries old Pakhtoon traditions and completely forgotten their party mentor’s theory of peaceful coexistence. Karachi gripped with the recent spate of target killings is helpless and its residents are looking at the three key players MQM, ANP and PPP. The bigger the stake the more terror these claimants of Karachi inflict on the urban dwellers. These groups consider it their divine right to avenge the killing of their ranks by inflicting death and misery on the poor Karachiites. Every time a leader or worker of these parties is killed anarchy descends on the city. These burst of violence always claim many a precious lives and loss of property. The shopkeepers have no option than to pull down their shutters. The bigger the personality the more Karachi has to suffer. However, it’s not alarming for a city which has become a city of mayhem.

The frightening and recent phenomenon of attacking commoners belonging to opposite ethnic communities has been an “attribute” of Mutahida Qaumi Movement lead by Altaf Hussain. This practice again on display soon after the assassination of Raza Haider, an MPA belonging to MQM. Scores of innocent people of Pakhtoon ethnicity were murdered. These were mostly laborers seeking a daily wage to make their ends meet. Similarly workers of ANP went berserk after the killing of its Sindh Salaar Ubaidullah Yousufzai and started terrorizing the people belonging to Urdu community. Ethnic and political terrorism is a concern, a big one, But not as big as the death of ahimsa – the trademark of Bacha Khan’s philosophy.

S. Hameed Sheikh works with a private TV channel in its dramatic productions department. He couldn’t attend his office on the following three days of Ubaidullah’s murder because he had to pass Banaras’s Bacha Khan Chauk to move to his office on I.I. Chundrigar Road. A resident of Ali Gargh adjacent to the Banaras Chauk S. Hameed Sheikh doesn’t want to be the target of bullets fired by unknown men. Although he belongs to the Urdu Speaking community he shares one main thing with ANP. Like the workers of Awami National Party his despise for MQM has always been on high degree. The young man with dark skin has always been admirer of Pukhtoon traditions. But Pukhtoons being the protectors of people lives have now become a life threat for the people like S Hameed Sheikh. Not all of them ofcourse but the ones lead astray by the ANP through its politics of hate towards other communities.

As a matter of fact, Pukhtoons are known for never attacking their worst enemies whenever they have trespassed, accidentally or deliberately, through their area. The great nation Pukhtoons have never killed noncombatants but ANP’s Sindh chapter largely comprised of Land grabbers have forgotten their history or are more inspired from the indiscriminate killings of vulnerable Pukhtoon in Mujahir dominated areas by MQM.

The supporters of ANP have made it impossible for the Urdu speaking community to pass through Banaras, Kati Pahari, Qasba and other Pukhtoon dominated areas. Just hours after the inhuman murder of ANP leader, News Channels flashed the footage showing loaded worker of ANP firing to scare the people. Who dared to pass through?

On May 28th, 2010 Pakistan witnessed a black Friday. More than 80 Pakistani citizens were butchered as they congregated to offer their prayers. The atrocity has every sensible Pakistani shaken or shocked. However, in land of pure, using the opportunity to settle personal prejudice is nothing new and seems to be the order of the day. The incident triggered a chain of continuous and voluminous claims that Ahmadis are state persecuted.

The butchery of Lahore was hijacked for revocation of constitutionalamendment and Ordinance. Putting the blame on the 2nd Amendment and Ordinance XX is a façade. Why? Let us cross examine the said Ordinance with the Articles 14, 16, 19, 20, 22, 25 and 28.

Ahmadis are barred from preaching or professing their beliefs, to call themselves or pose as Muslims. For them to Offer their prayers in Non-Ahmadi mosques or public prayer rooms became illegal. They were prohibited from calling their place of worship mosque, performing Azaan, publicly using traditional Islamic symbols, greetings, quoting from the Quran, publishing and disseminating their religious materials. The above forbidden acts can lead to imprisonment of upto 3 years.

Ahmadis themselves were the reason for such strict measure. It was there continuous and never ending preaching that formed the basis for Ordinance XX instigated by religious groups. In the words of experienced columnist Athar Abbas, Express “Preaching is the worst habit of Ahmadis. This is the single reason why they entice violent acts upon themselves.” Athar also shared a couple of personal and first hand experiences.

Having similar outlooks, displaying identical rituals and symbols made common Muslims an easy target of Ahmadis. Posing as Muslims they recruited converts thus deviating innocent and unsuspecting Muslims away from Islam. Hence it became imminent, in the greater public interest, to deprive them of their cover. Why are they adamant on preaching their beliefs? The answer was given by Mirza Nasir during parliamentary debate in 1974. “Muslims not conforming to Ahmadiya beliefs are infidels” he stated.

Now let us move to the often mentioned Articles which the infamous Ordinance contradicts.

The dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable.

No person shall be subjected to torture for the purpose of extracting evidence.

Ahmadis are not under continous surveillance nor are they required to report what they do in their personal lives. Infact, there are countless ahmadis amid us who lead their lives unnoticed. Secondly, Ahmadis are not rounded up, arrested or later tortured for extracting information by the police or other law enforcement agencies. Excesses if any have died with the dictatorship which exhibited unrestrained behavior against political activists and other threats.

Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court (commission of) or incitement of an offence.

The article is defends the Ordinance XX when it provisions that restrictions can be imposed in the interest of glory of Islam.

a) Every citizen shall have the right to profess, practice and propagate his religion; and

b) Every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions.

Athar Abbas in his column wrote the following incident. A few days earlier if village elders hadn’t succeeded in pacifying the threat to public order was very well on the cards at Shakar Garh. It so happened that an Ahmadi student and a zamindar’s ward played together. The ahmadi used to propagate Ahmadiya beliefs to his playmate and how by converting the later could enjoy benefits of living in US, Britain and Germany. Annoyed the boy turned to his parents and it enticed hostility amongst Muslim of the area. Fortunately, before any mishaps the area elders intervened and hushed the matter beneath carpet.

Hence the Ordinance does not contradict rather complements the Article 20 of the constitution.

No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religious worship, if such instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own.

In respect of any religious institution, there shall be no discrimination against any community in the granting of exemption or concession in relation to taxation.

Subject to law:

no religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instructions for pupils of that community or denomination in any educational institution maintained wholly by that community or denomination; and

no citizen shall be denied admission to any educational institution receiving aid from public revenues on the ground only of race, religion, caste or place of birth.

Law does not stop Ahmadis from preaching their beliefs to members of their community and only bars public professing. Other than confusing prayer halls with educational institutions I don’t see any contradiction in the above Article and Ordinance XX.

All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.

There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.

Nothing in this Article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the protection women and children.

The Ordinance does not state that Ahmadis are not liable to government protection or allowed to file petitions with the court of law pertaining to regular social and business matters. It does not state that they are lesser mortals and can be deprived of their valuable or even life when and as Muslims please. Twin attacks in Lahore were a heinous criminal act and perpetrators should be awarded due punishment.

Subject to Article 251 any section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture shall have the right to preserve and promote the same and subject to law, establish institutions for that purpose.

Ahmadi worship centers are neither attacked nor their scriptures burned by state agencies. The Government prohibited mass scale printing for public distribution and not amongst the Ahmadi community.

The much dreaded Ordinance doesn’t violate the constitution of 1973 and hence can not be held responsible for the mayhem of May 28th, 2010.

The Subscription List at http://global.nytimes.com/ [“Global Edition New York Time with International Herald Tribune] clearly states the charges in Pakistan, though low, are both for The International Herald Tribune and Express Tribune. This establishes the fact that the Newspaper with the slogan of “Global Standard but Local Prospective” compels its subscribers to buy a copy of the Newspaper owned by Neo-cons. Please note that the charges for the Express Tribune are PKR-25 while the well established newspapers like Dawn, The nation and The News charge PKR15 from its subscribers. These are the market rates. Mind; this is also contrary to the strategy which the new comers mostly adopt e.g. a paper of high quality at low rates. But the express tribune with The International Herald Tribune is not costly. In fact the buyers have to pay PKR25 for the two independent Newspapers. But you can’t buy any of these two separately and that’s my point.

The PKR ten or half of the total price is charged for The International Herald Tribune , a newspaper with Global Standard and “International” Prospective. Although the editorial page of the Express Tribune is itself biased towards left liberalism which after divorcing communism has now married to the American imperialism, best known as international terrorism, the International Herald Tribune has two separate pages, editorial plus opinion page with writers prompting the International Prospective-American aggression as great service to humanity and resistance to it a great sin.

That those killed were indeed civilians was clear from day one as all eyewitness accounts agreed on that.

Tribal elders have told the media that the jets targeted a jirga or tribal council that was discussing ways to evict militants from the area. They insisted that most of the dead were civilians, including women and children.

A media report said one of the homes targeted by the jets belonged to the father of a Pakistani soldier.

Distortions, deformations, lies and deceptions are the words which remind us of none other than “New York Times”. According to Daniel Pipes Op-eds are now more central in war than bullets. To him gone are days when General in battle fields would decide the fate of nations. The job is now performed by the News producers, editors, copy editors and writers. In fact “New York Times” along with a few others is fighting this unjust war for the America on that new but important front very effective.

For those who loose their flavor on reading the English Newspapers like The News International where the people like Ansar Abbasi, the only person who questioned the fake flogging video, is heading its investigative unit which gather round about half of the total reporting team in Islamabad office, the debut of “The Express Tribune” is indeed a good news. Good news because The Express Tribune is reportedly partnered with The International Herald Tribune which is the global edition of The New York Times.

Victims of inferiority complexes and confused Pakistanis are overjoyed with this news but I’m sure that these friends of ours have been against the US aggression on Iraq and Afghanistan of which New York Times was a great proponent and even defended it once the claims of WMD proved unfounded.

Who says there were no WMD in Iraq? In the picture above are the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), some being destructed while some just wounded, are found in Iraq by The US in the light of investigative reporting by the American Media especially the New York Times and its partner publications. We are “glade” to become partner with those who are partner of the forces who want to enforce “American Liberal Values” which ask for the indiscriminate killings of the innocent Muslims.

To read “About US” of the online version of The Express Tribune is interesting and endorsed my claim that publications of New York Times are partners in International Terrorism by the US against humanity. Even the highlighted words say more.

The Express Tribune is the first internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan. Partnered with The International Herald Tribune – the global edition of The New York Times – the paper caters to the modern face of Pakistan. With its groundbreaking layouts created by an international award winning designer, the paper offers a stimulating visual experience designed to make stories come alive on paper.

With a staff of acclaimed journalists, our mission is to defend the liberal valuesand egalitarian traditions we believe in, and which deserve to be upheld in writing that is both informative and insightful. The newspaper covers a variety of topics ranging from politics to the economy, foreign policy to investment and sports to culture.

I would like to lift it on my readers to answer this question that who are the “modern face of Pakistan”? The supporters of uncheck assault on patriotic Pakistanis? The people who says that Black Water/Xe Services are the most peaceful people on earth and thus nothing to do with blasts inside Pakistan and that they are hundreds of their marines are here in Pakistan on Picnic?

The mission of a Newspaper or News Channel should be defending some values? What do egalitarian traditions mean? Egalitarian traditions which allow them the right to publish blasphemous cartoons with out thinking awhile that the same may hurt millions of Muslims? Being a journalist we were trained to report what we see but the Express Tribune will report what it want the people to see. And what it want the people to see is very much clear from its “About US” and its partnership with partners in international terrorism.

Although it is good news for “protectors of the liberal values” [Read the words in inverted commas as pleaders of indiscriminate killing of innocent Muslims], it is bad news for a vast majority of Pakistanis that The Express Tribune, a mouthpiece of International Terrorists, US and its global allies has been launched in Pakistan.

The road to righteousness (operation rah e raast) and subsequent salvation (rah e nijaat) is laden with gravestones of the sons of the soil. Last April, especially after the peace deal, people were hopeful for a peaceful resolution and prevention of exhaustive military engagement. A video exhibiting harrowing flogging of veiled woman was widely circulated on the digital waves. The matter was picked up by Guardian, BBC, The Hindu and ANI (Indian newswire service). Later, national mainstream media also propagated the heinous treatment of a girl. The media unanimously quoted Samar Minallah, a documentary film maker and anthropologist, who spent two years in Swat region during the 1990s.

Declan Walsh of the Guardian wrote “The Guardian received the video through Samar Minallah, a Pashtun documentary maker and anthropologist who lived in Swat for two years in the late 1990s. It has been passed between Swat residents by mobile phones. Ms Minallah said the punishment had been inflicted within the last 10 days, following the signing of a controversial peace deal under which the provincial government ceded control of the valley’s judicial system to the militants.

Declan Walsh, hinting militant influence to be deepening in Pakistan, describes the video in The Guardian as “The two-minute video, shot using a mobile phone, shows a burka-clad woman face down on the ground. Two men hold her arms and feet while a third, a black turbaned fighter with a flowing beard, whips her repeatedly. ‘Please stop it’, she begs, alternately whimpering or screaming in pain with each blow to the backside. ‘Either kill me or stop it now’. A crowd of men stands by, watching silently. Off camera, a voice issues instructions. ‘Hold her legs tightly’, he says as she squirms and yelps. After 34 lashes the punishment stops and the wailing woman is led into a stone building, trailed by a Kalashnikov-carrying militant”.

Walsh’s narrative was picked up by all the papers except for Dawn, which changed the ending describing it as “The public flogging continued for several minutes, after which the wailing girl is dragged by a group of armed men to a nearby building.” Although, it was clearly visible that the girl took off on her own, shedding dirt of her clothes before hurriedly going into a mud house.

There were clear abnormalities in the video as the girl with heart rendering cries, after receiving 34 hits gets up, sheds dirt off her veil and runs inside a mud house. Sensationalism took over rationale and our media run the 2 minute piece without checking for authenticity. Later there were plenty of hue and cries from the civil society, which took to the streets, condemning the incident and asking severe action against the perpetrators.

Quoting Minallah and other sources, the media reported that the girl was punished on suspicion of having had an illicit relationship with a married man. She did not receive a trial. “The whole case is based on the suspicions of one neighbour,” said Minallah. The woman’s brother is among the men pinning her down, she added. “It’s symbolic that he does it with his own hands. It gives him honour in local society, that he has done it for the sake of religion.”

“This video is being widely circulated because the Taliban want people to see it. They want to give the message that this is taking place after the peace deal because this is something they ideologically believe in,” she was quoted as saying. Minallah said she feared Talibanisation would spread across Pakistan. “I have distributed this video because I feel people are in denial. They don’t want to believe what is happening.”

BBC’s Addul Hai Kakar, jumping on the band wagon and citing relatives of the male victim, reported that “Relatives of the man involved in the incident told the BBC he had gone to the house of the girl in the village of Kala Kalay to do repairs as an electrician, but militants accused him of having a relationship with her. They dragged him from the house and flogged him before punishing the girl, his relatives said. After the incident, the Taleban forced the couple to marry and instructed the man not to divorce his wife. His relatives say he has been left mentally scarred.”

There were condemnation from the governing quarters with Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ordering police and government officials from the north-western Swat Valley to bring the girl to court the coming week. Both the President and Prime Minister were shocked and asked the local officials to provide complete report of the incident and arrest the perpetrators.

Interior Affairs Adviser Rehman Malik was stated as saying, “We are investigating the matter. But sometimes anti-state elements make fake or artificial footage or images to bring disrepute to Pakistan.” NWFP minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the surfacing of the video footage was a conspiracy. Speaking at a press conference in Swat, provincial Minister Iftikhar Hussain alleged that an NGO activist, Samar Minallah, had released the video as part of a conspiracy. He said her brother had been a provincial minister in the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf. The minister said the incident was condemnable and should be investigated, but at the same time flashing it several months after its occurrence raised suspicions.

Malakand Division Commissioner Syed Mohammad Javed was quoted by local media as saying that the incident shown in the video clip had not happened in the Swat valley and that the accents of the people heard speaking in the video were not those of the region. “This fabricated video clip is a conspiracy to sabotage the Swat peace deal between the Taliban and the NWFP government,” the commissioner said after his visit to the Kala Kalay village where the incident is alleged to have taken place.

Recent arrests of the central characters of the video revealed that it was staged for a PKR 500,000. During operation in Malakand division, the law-enforcement agencies had arrested the children who were present in the video while a resident of Swat was apprehended by Kohat administration. “The children and the arrested man revealed that the video was ‘fake’ and said that it was made on the demand of Islamabad-based NGO which provided him Rs0.5 million,” it is revealed.

The report also confirmed the arrest of the women who admitted to have accepted PKR 100,000. Citing sources it was further revealed Sources revealed that woman who was flogged in the video was also arrested and she revealed that she had received PKR 100,000 while PKR 50,000 was given to each child. Sources said that the NGO produced the video to defame the country’s integrity and respect.

Exposed! Ms. Minallah reiterated with very bold and highly emotional rants, her recently published article scrutinizes the revelation. “The article does not bear the name of a journalist. It does not specify the name or identity of the ‘Swati man’ who claims to have made the video. It does not give the name of the NGO that supposedly paid the ‘local actors’ for acting in the ‘fake’ video. If all these were paid actors, does that imply that the Taliban leaders who admitted that the incident had happened were paid too?”

Highly charged and emotional she goes on to write “At a time when the entire country was under the threat of militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video but also condemned it at the risk of my own life. Much to the disappointment of many ‘professional conspirators’, the video was made by the Taliban and not by me”.

She explains that her role was merely to bring it (video) to public attention. “No NGO made millions by ‘launching’ the video because the video was already on mobile phones and the internet since weeks. The only thing ‘added’ to it was open and clear condemnation from me,” she adds.

However the role of Muslim Khan is also commendable, as he ensured the credibility of the video through his statement “She came out of her house with another guy who was not her husband, so we must punish her. There are boundaries you cannot cross,” quoted by the Guardian.

Public opinion is divided, to some these Talibans’ are home grown barbarians, preaching their backward and extremist interpretation of Islam. Some say they are mercenaries funded by the Indians and Northern Alliance (Afghanistan). Americans gave us enormous aid and weapons and they want us to use them, more damagingly against our own people, is another widely held belief. The conflict was well suited to our American friends, as they saw it a chance to not only engage our military but also make us use our defense inventory.

The conflict has depleted many of our resources and the country has lost a good number of souls – both soldiers and civilians. There is a growing concern at the length of the operation. Rational thinker are advocating dialogue as a means of ending the conflict others. The road to righteousness (operation rah e raast) and subsequent salvation (rah e nijaat) is laden with gravestones of the sons of Pakistan. The lengthening conflict in the backdrop of above debate has baffled many a brains. What is righteousness and if large scale deaths and bombings is righteousness than would there be salvation in this life and the hereafter?

People of the area, the principal loser, never wanted any of this and are weary of this conflict. A simple conversation with any Pashtun, working in the urban Karachi or Lahore, will serve as an insight into the conflict. They all have harrowing tales of war to share real happenings to their kith and kin back in the war zones. However, it’s the liberation front, a group of educated and urbanized brand of thinkers, savvy of western praise and in some cases funding, wants to wipe the area clean. Willing to shed as much blood as necessary provided it is not theirs.

[Note:With electricity playing havoc, I am having a hard time sitting down and doing this piece at length. This is a bit disorganized as I wanted to put in a lot of old info to jog the memory but I don’t have the time to do a swell job of arranging it nicely. Hope this will do. And apologies for getting a bit messy]

It offers nothing new (see her piece from a year ago below titled “Swat Video is genuine, claim activists”) except calling those who question her “conspiracy theorists” and “Taliban Supporters” and “Taliban apologists“ (Oh how original! But their is one original one too: “professional conspirators” Methinks she is accusing guys like me to be on the pay of some one. Wish she’d identify whom so I can go collect my paycheck;-) BTW: She herself is undeniably — and admittedly — a “pro” NGO b!tch and we are very clear who her bosses are). But she does mess up some — see that is the trouble when you lie so much. For example, she writes:

“At a time when the entire country was under threat from militants, I not only brought the attention of the country to this video”

WELL IF THIS IS NOT AN ADMISSION THAT SHE WAS USING THE VIDEO FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES THAN I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS!!!!

She goes on to say believe me because — like in her last piece — Taliban say so. She even quotes Rahmatullah Yousafzai to “prove” this flogging was real because “other floggings have happened”. What she doesn’t tell you is that Yousafzai reported the girl DENIED the flogging (the RYousafzai story is linked below). This is faulty logic. Of course we know that and I am not denying that. But that this particular one did not happen when claimed is all I am claiming and Ms Minallah you have yourself all but admitted to it and admitted to the fact you used it for propaganda.

Another interesting and stupid line from her article:

“If this is ‘fake’ then what about the way Shabana was brutally killed in front of many silent spectators?”

I don’t know which Shabana you are talking about but I do know you did not raise a stink about it. You did not post it on YouTube (oh by the way you lied about that too at first claiming someone else had put the flogging video on YouTube and you happened to come across it. It was YOU who posted it and spread the word to bbc and WP etc) nor did you appear on talk shows hawking it.

I will continue to challenge those who misuse religion for power and politics.

And I will continue to expose lying b!tches like you whose think their religion gives them the right to screw your father-in-law and have her brother as a pimp (see below; and speaking of pim brothers, I must pay my respects to your pimp brother: “Oh, Hi! Athar!) and use little lies to propagate atrocities as happened in Swat.

I think you better quit with these “I was right because Taliban say so” defenses — you are only exposing your lies more and more.

– The incident happened after the Swat deal. (If that istrue, how come the video was being passed from phone to phone till eventually reaching Ms Minallah “through email”? That is some rapid dissimination)

– We are expected to believe BBC was able to gather all this and identify all the characters and their backgrounds from its investigation in 24 hours or less; and that too when the original story even on BBC was only quoting Ms Minallah

In the print edition of Jang the same day, another version was offered which was even more ridiculous. The person having made the video claims the girl had refused to marry this guy so he joined the Taliban (really?) and had her punished under a false claim thus carrying our his revenge. Go figure (What I specially don’t understand is he could have made this false claim without joining the Taliban so why go through the trouble??) Too bloody fantastic!

6. That this little incident would be deemed so important to get the focus was indeed uncany (when so many worst things were going on) and even those againt the Taliban like Cowasjee notice this anamoly in his piece titled “When Will We Wake Up“:

THE local press is sometimes rather tardy when it comes to latching on to events on the home front. The video of the flogging of a young girl allegedly by the Taliban in the usurped vale of Swat began its circulation around the internet early last week.

On April 2, a report headed ‘Video of girl’s flogging as Taliban hand out justice’ was printed in The Guardian, and a similar report in The Times under the heading ‘Video: radicals beat girl, 17, in Islamic stronghold of Swat, Pakistan’. Britain awakens early. The New York Times followed suit two days later, on April 4, in tune with our press, and printed a report on the flogging, ‘Video of Taliban flogging rattles Pakistan’.

The news in Pakistan was headlined the same day after the subject video had been aired on most of our news channels on Friday, April 3. On one channel, a ‘spokesman’ for the Taliban defended the punishment with the caveat that it should not have been publicised. And one anchor person apparently quoted chapter and verse of the Quran and applauded the flogging.

The government of the NWFP which, with the blessings of the federal government, concluded the ‘peace’ deal in Swat with Sufi Mohammad and the Taliban on Feb 15, via its information minister called the airing of the video an attempt to ‘sabotage’ the peace deal. President, prime minister and assorted federal ministers had no option but to make the usual condemnatory noises and issue the usual inquiry orders.

Pakistan’s chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, has sprung into action, as expected of a man of his stature who has his head and heart in the right place, and taken suo motu action summoning to his court members of the administration of the NWFP. Not that it can serve much purpose as both provincial and federal governments have abdicated their writ in the vale of Swat and handed it over to the Taliban to do with it and its inhabitants what they will.

Such is the schizophrenia that assails us, which is evident in all walks of life and in all different class distinctions. Education in our case is no panacea for a mass state of denial when it comes to events happening under our combined eyes. It is amazing how the benefits of higher education swiftly rub off our elite classes when it comes to matters of tradition which glorify the violation of human rights.

7. That this was a fully managed campaign can be judged from how quickly every paper of note around the local and western press latched on to it. Were they all watching Capital talk that night? No! They all quoted Ms Minallah so we can have no doubt who was behind this. (I do find amazing is that Geo managed to make that little flogging clip into a 23+ minute report)

8. Just like today, Samar Minallah came out two days after the release of the video to defend her version and failed MISERABBLY. In fact she left no doubt she was a LYING BITCH. See for yourself in the full story and my comments on it at the time:

Swat video is genuine, claim activists
“…Samar Minallah, the human rights activist and documentary film-maker, while talking to The News said that the video was being circulated from mobile phone to mobile phone and from person to person. She said that she received the video via email from a human rights activist of Swat. Talking about the authenticity of the video Minallah said that everyone in Swat knows that the incident took place but unfortunately the NWFP government wants to divert the attention of the masses from the actual issue of harassment of women. She said that the facts and figures would be produced before the Supreme Court[Apr 2010: They never were and CJ seems to have gone to sleep on it] and everyone would come to know about the authenticity of the video.[Apr 2010: We are still waiting. But I am posting the story about the case when it made it to SC at the bottom]

“NWFP minister Mian Iftikhar directly named me while addressing a press conference yesterday while today the NWFP government has been apologising over directly blaming me”, said Samar Minallah adding: “I have got nothing from publicising this horrific video except putting my life in danger and if the government cannot provide me security then at least it should not divert the attention of the masses.”[Is she asking for a bullet-proof car and police escort?]

She said that the dialect which the girl was speaking was purely of Swat as she herself has worked in Swat and any Pushtoon could recognise it. Samar said that Muslim Khan, the spokesman of Taliban in Swat, accepted that the incident took place and also told the media that the girl had an illicit relationship with her father-in-law. “If the incident did not take place then how come Muslim Khan came to know about the allegations levelled against the girl?”, said the human rights activist adding: “Muslim Khan said the actual punishment to be awarded to the girl was stoning to death but she was flogged.”[Oh, so is Ms Minallah saying it is OK to have illicit relations with your father-in-law? AND why didn’t she let us on to this very important/relevant info earlier?][Apr 2010:And so now we are supposed to believe the Taliban Spokesperson? And why if she was awarded the “stoning to death” verdict was she just flogged? Wasn’t that “nice” of the Taliban?? ]

She said that a writer contributing to the BBC had confirmed that the incident was recent and from Swat.[Apr 2010: Oh, so Ms Minallah is using the BBC to cover for her and BBC is using her to cover for them. Nice little symbiotic relationship]

She referred to a human rights activist of Swat who when contacted requested anonymity as publishing his name could put his life in danger. [Apr 2010: The same one who sent her the video?] The human rights activist said that the video was so common in Swat that everyone was aware of it.[Apr 1010: This alone proves the video was MUCH OLDER than she claimed. This again proves her releasing it for a purpose]The activist had said that he received the video from Taliban who were not happy with the incident as it was un-Islamic because the girl had not faced any trial. “Many Taliban were not happy with the incident and they themselves had made the video and circulated it”, said the human rights activist adding: “The girl’s younger brother was forced to hold her at gunpoint and the man lashing the girl also abused that boy which could be heard easily; the Taliban said to that boy, “Pimp, take her inside the house?”[Oh this is getting GOOD! So it was the Talban who were distributing the video even though they were not happy with what happened — “as it was un-Islamic because the girl had not faced any trial” ??? So Talibans DID have the sense to see this? And yet Ms Minallah accused them and hid this important part??? And I am supposed to worry about the Taliban….WHAT A FVCKING FABRICATOR that Ms Minallah is ][Apr 2010: And I find it very odd that if I believe Ms Minallah and the Taliban (Ms Minallah is telling me to believe them so I must), this girl was screwing her father-in-law with her brother acting as a pimp and yet the Taliban thought “what a wonderful family!” (Remember Ms Minallah herself wants us to believe Taliban felt bad she was punished so screwing your father-in-law and pimping for your sis must be all “kosher” according to the shariat and Ms Minallah, at least that is what she wants us to believe)]

The activist from Swat said that the incident took place in a remote area near village Serbanda in upper Swat and many Taliban say that it was an illegal activity as proper procedure of having four witnesses was not adopted. He was of the view that the video was recent and there were many other similar incidents which could not be highlighted by the media.[“many Taliban say that it was an illegal activity as proper procedure of having four witnesses was not adopted.” ][Apr 2010: Again we are being asked to believe Ms Minallah’s fib that the video was recent is to be believed because Taliban confirm her version. Oh so nice of then.]

I must ask: If we are to believe this sh!t from Ms Minallah, I just don’t understand what is the issue she has with the Taliban? I mean they seem to agree on everything 100%

SWAT: WHERE IT IS TODAY

Some people of Swat speak out…(of course they will be declared ‘Taliban-supporters’ or “professional protesters” by ms Minallah):

PESHAWAR: Swat Qaumi Jirga on Sunday declared the state of Pakistan responsible for all the destruction, killings and miseries of the people in Swat and sought an apology from President Asif Ali Zardari as the head of the state….

And what about those other people from Swat…you know…the IDPs that all the ‘civil society’ was kind enough to make them into refugees? Well they are still suffering (as they were last year) as I talked about earlier:

IDPs from tribal areasNot only has the theatre of war against the militants in the northwest expanded in recent times, it has also extracted a heavy price in the process by displacing people from various affected areas on a very large scale. The fact must be kept in mind and both state and civil society should come to the aid of the IDPs. According to one relief agency, it has registered over 1.3 million IDPs from the tribal areas. The exodus from Orakzai Agency alone amounts to over 75,000 tribesmen at even conservative estimates. Parts of the agency have reportedly turned into ghost towns where starving children search for food.The exodus was a predictable consequence of the operation against the militants, but little evidence is available of the state having made efforts to mitigate the IDPs’ suffering. The sole relief camp in the area is in Hangu district, accommodating less than 4,000 people. There is no room for the hundreds of people streaming into the area everyday. Apparently, no relief camp exists in Kohat district, where over 22,000 IDPs have registered themselves with the social welfare department. Unsurprisingly, the battle against militancy has led to mass migration, with people seeking refuge in Kohat and Hangu districts and Khyber Agency….

So what this b!tch wrought has only spread.

P.S. See my comment that really got ALL baboos fuming and pull out their knives (I must have set a record for the names I was called in that thread )

Interior secretary, NWFP IG, Attorney General (AG) and other high officials appeared before the eight-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry hearing the Swat case.

AG, Latif Khosa during the hearing made a plea that the matter relating to the flogging of girl was a sensitive issue and, therefore, the hearing be conducted closed-door. The Supreme Court turning down the request for in-camera trial gave remarks that the flogging was made known through the media and added that the facts need be brought before the public.

The victim Swat girl could not be presented during the SC hearing, while a confidential report was presented from the NWFP chief secretary (CS). The SC bench refusing to accept NWFP CS report relating to the flogging of girl remarked that no confidential report was required and said all facts should be brought in public.

Besides, the girl’s statement before the magistrate was also presented through AG, in which the girl has denied the alleged flogging incident. NWFP IG on this occasion in his statement drew the attention of the court to this fact that the police have no access to several areas in Swat.[Oh, and Ms Minallah does? And BBC seems to be in every nook-and-corner as can be “proved” from the fact they managed to gather so much in 24 hours as mentioned by me above] To this, the bench remarked, “Your statement tantamount to laying arms.”

NWFP IG said that an FIR has been registered against unidentified persons and an investigation team headed by DIG has been constituted.[Why “unnamed”? Just ask bbc or Ms Minallah or Muslim Khan ]

The SC bench expressed its displeasure with interior secretary, Kamal Shah relating to Swat incident, while a member of the bench, Khalilur Rahman Ramday enquired from interior secretary, “Except arresting judges, do you do any other work.”

CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry in his remarks said that investigations be conducted that who conspired to defame Islam and Pakistan.

By Rahimullah Yusufzai [for the benefit of @Mo Usman so he can’t deny it’s creditability ]

PESHAWAR: Chand Bibi, the young girl who was shown being flogged by the Swat Taliban in a videotape aired on television channels, gave a statement to a Qazi, or judge, on Sunday, denying the incident.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the NWFP information minister, told The News that she made the statement to Mohammad Riaz, the judge of the Qazi Court for Matta Tehsil, and the commissioner of Malakand division, Syed Mohammad Javed, both of whom visited her village, Kala Killay, in Kabal Swat district on Sunday.

Quoting the commissioner, Mian Iftikhar said the girl, Chand Bibi, made it clear that she was indeed married to Adalat Khan and everyone in the village knew about it. She refuted the reports that both of them were flogged by the Taliban as punishment for maintaining illicit relations and then forcibly married….”

Well in case you are wondering why you are hearing all this talk about Southern Punjab and America’s latest warnings, our ladies have been hard at work. I already told you about Ayesha Siddiqa but did you know Samar Minallah has been hard at work there too?

Samar Minallah is all with her future victims in Rahim Yar Khan, Southern Punjab.

A senior U.S. military official has confirmed that a 17-minute video posted today on Wikileaks.org – which shows U.S. troops firing repeatedly from a helicopter at a group walking down a Baghdad street – is authentic. The attack, which took place in July of 2007, ultimately killed 12, a group which included a Reuters photographer, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and driver, Saeed Chmagh, 40, according to the Times.

The conversation between the two troops in the helicopter is captured on film, including an exchange in which one pilot says “Look at those dead bastards,” to which the other responds “Nice.” The pilots believe the group to be insurgents (mistaking Noor-Eldeen’s camera for a weapon) and aim and fire, “reveling in their kills,” as the Times puts it.

U.S. military officials have reportedly investigated the incident and concluded the troops were not aware there were Reuters employees amongst the group, and there was no disciplinary action taken.

[The only regret the US official has is the Reuters employees ware mistakenly killed, otherwise there is nothing bad in killing the Muslims whose rulers are sucking the American Dick for quite some time now]

This article was April 16th 2009, but it seems that it is written after the news of fakeness of Video came out. Interestingly, most of the assertions in this article are proved right by the news of Fakeness.

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Why a five six month old incidence of flogging a woman has been publicized by Samar Minallah, and later widely circulated around the world. It is learnt that recording from a phone camera of above event was sold to international brokers, a lottery for Samar Minallah to earn hundred thousand dollars and free publicity.

Punishment to woman was Islamic or non-Islamic; it is duty of courts and clergy to comment on the matter. Distribution and publicity of above event on such a large scale around the world have political ambitions rather human rights or women protection concerns. If you may pick today’s newspaper the statements of a particular group is witness that this political drama is based on sectarian abhorrence.

Minallah family is known crony of Mush and poses as die heart lover of Bhutto and Peoples Party. In the present circumstances when Athar Minallah played a role in restoration of Chief Justice, there he and Aitzaz Ahsan were responsible for sending CJ to the Zardari house, which was widely criticized throughout Pakistan . It is presumed that Hamid Mir of GEO TV is aware of whole conspiracy to sabotage Swat peace agreement, and he widely publicized such matter on Capital talk TV show.

It is assumed that some peoples want to disrupt peace agreement of Swat area, as it is in final course of action and lying on the table of Zardari for signature. Moreover since American’s have announcement 1.5 billion annual stipends; briskness of expected beneficiaries is on highest altitude to pose them warriors or crusaders, who are dictating Pak army to rejoin civil war.

In the last few months and in recent days a lot of human rights abuses have been reported by media but Samar Minallah did not bothered to came forward and comment on any of events such as:

1. Israr ullah Zehri appointed as minister in PPP’s government

2. Mir Hazar Khan Bajarani appointed as Minister of Education by PPP.

3. Abdul Qayyum Jatoi was caught red handed at Cat House Islamabad, later appointed as minister by PPP.

4. Altaf Hussain kicked out his wife from his home; later goons of MQM deprived her from rights and legal proceedings.

5. Legislation has been passed in Afghanistan denying right of Shia women by Hamid Karazai.

6. Pak army has brutally murdered hundred of women and children’s with the help of air strikes and canons at Swat and FATA areas.

7. NATO is regularly killing women and children’s with the help of drone attacks.

8. Hundreds of girls of Jamia Hafsa were brutally murdered, kidnapped and humiliated by Pakistan army.

9. Pak army, Frontier Forces still have occupied dozens of schools in war torn areas, but no one has courage to point out that why security forces are sitting in schools. And whenever Taliban attacks on those schools then a different picture is presented.

10. At Peshawar today anybody can visit and see “ Heera Mandi Street ”, no Taliban or Al Qaida ever attacked there nor did Samar Minallah ever help prostitutes to adopt any other profession. NWFP has largest market of male Prostitutes as well; titles of some of the sex business are so vulgar that peoples avoid quoting them. Crying on the name of Women protection is a political drama or means to receive aid from overseas countries.

11. There are so many hue and cries for polio vaccination, question is why Mush awarded such contracts to Agha Khanis, and same as whole education system was handed over to Agha Khan School Board. All privatized tourism hotels have been awarded to them and even 99.9% five star hotels is owned by that group. On other hand Karakoram State and Agha Khan State is in pipe line. That was the only reason that Idi Amin kicked them out from Uganda .

All above are a few examples excluding Aafia Siddiqui case and many women who have been involved in terrorism related cases by agencies? In the month of March Zardari was involved in allowing security agencies to jump in to homes with the help of ladders to crush lawyer’s movement. It is on record that security agencies brutally humiliated protesters including women during entire movement of restoration of justice.

Athar Minallah who was crony of Mush and minister in his cabinet want to fail ANP government for the sake of making room for PPP, question is why Minallah family now abruptly started to broadcast on TV channels that Swat peace agreement has been failed and condition is for worst then civil war times? Additionally Army should continue to fight in those areas and so many other pessimistic theories could be witnessed on TV channels and papers..

Nasr Minallah who served Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as a civil servant later he was ill-treated by General Zia ul Haq due to his contacts with Bhutto. After death his wife Bilqis became MNA. Both have four children’s Athar, Fauzia, Akmal and Samar . Their close relatives, justice Safdar Shah was the Supreme Court judge who wrote a judgment declaring Bhutto innocent of the crime for which he was ultimately hanged (a 4 to 3 majority vote in the Supreme Court).

Athar Minallah poses that he is a lover of Z A Bhutto but why he worked as a Minister in Mush Government. His storey of participation in lawyer’s movement is well known. Samar Minallah is his sister who claimed to be living at Swat since last two years but neither Taliban touched her or Al Qaeda.

There is a strong group of Afghan Northern alliance at Islamabad , who has established an Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy (AIRRA) at Islamabad funded by anti-Pakistan quarters. Their major aims and ambitions include keeping busy Pakistan army in civil war. Majority of communists and cronies of India and Russia are sitting at Islamabad for spying on Pakistan . Its office is established in a large palace at a posh area of Islamabad . Farhat Taj Andersen is their spokes person, who is a Christian convert and based at Oslo . She is a great friend of Jang group and Salman Taseer media group who usually publish her poisonous sermons based on hatred and fascist theories.

Peoples are watching helplessly to observe manoeuvres of politicians, army and bureaucracy. Those were asked to pray for peace during civil war.. Now when peace has returned to the area anarchists, fascists and groups surviving on the stipend of imperialists are trying hard to interrupt whole peace process. Restoration of judiciary which left a soft impression on global level has now been tactfully sabotaged by Samar Minallah. The video she has sold to overseas agencies is continuously running on all leading channels around globe.

It is certainly move of Mush or Zardari, who are behind Samar Minallah.

This article by Gordon Duff, a Marine Vietnam veteran, former UN Diplomat, defense contractor and a widely published expert , testify our claims that most of the terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, including the one on GHQ are carried out by CIA’s operational agency Blackwater/Xe Services. This must read article is self-explanatory.

Every time there is a terrorist attack, the nations blamed say that it was a “false flag” operation. This is what America did to cover up My Lai. We were lying. Germans claimed Poland invaded Germany in 1939. An educated guess is that 75% of terrorist attacks we hear of were staged, never happened or were done by “radical groups” that were first infiltrated, then controlled and eventually financed and supplied by intelligence agencies. Intelligence agencies are, in actuality, the biggest terrorist organizations in the world. The CIA has blown up more buses, airplanes and markets than any almost anyone else. The Mossad may be number one, followed by, well, everyone, the RAW, ISI, MI-6, IRA and dozens of others.

Either directly or through idiots, clones (operatives using false identity to look like “terrorists”) or through simply doing it themselves, these groups promote national policy by destabilizing nations, swinging elections or defaming religious, national or political groups by staging attacks and using the press to place the blame. The popular video game Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 even has a terrorist attack on a transportation center in Moscow built into it, a “false flag” attack. Today, the real thing happened.

FRANCESCO COSSIGA, FORMER PRIME MINISTER, PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF ITALY SPILLS HIS GUTS

With communism threatening to overrun Europe, NATO set up terrorist groups under Operation Gladio (short sword) to act as guerrilla armies in case Europe was overrun. As this became less and less likely, intelligence services began using the terrorist groups meant to fight Russia to manipulate politics in Europe through terrorist acts, such as bombings. We wouldn’t know the details if Cossiga, one of the planners of Operation Gladio, hadn’t spilled his guts about this and other “false flag” operations in Europe and elsewhere. This is what Cassiga told Robert Maroni, Italian Minister of the Interior about methods employed to control civil protests in Italy:

“Maroni should do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior.”

“University students? … Infiltrate them with agents provocateurs … and let the agents provocateurs devastate shops, set fire to cars and put cities to the sword for ten days.

“Then, having won the sympathy of the public … the police should pitilessly beat the shit out of protesters and send them all to hospital.”

One of the operational leaders of Operation Gladio, representing NATO with the CIA, was Vincezo Vinciguerra who stated under oath:

“You had to attack civilians, the people, women, children, innocent people, unknown people far removed from any political game. The reason was quite simple. They were supposed to force these people, the Italian public, to turn to the state to ask for greater security. This is the political logic that lies behind all the massacres and the bombings which remain unpunished, because the state cannot convict itself or declare itself responsible for what happened.”

When the Italian parliament investigated, a number of allegations arose. It seemed that one of the Gladio operations was a train bombing in Bologna in 1980 which killed 85 people. This was supported by both physical evidence and significant testimony. It was also discovered that “Palestinian terrorists” operating in Europe including Abu Nidal were working for the CIA and Mossad. Investigations by the Italian parliament reported the following about Stefano delle Ciaie.

A neo-fascist group tied to extremist Masonic lodges in Italy had formed a political action cell called “P2.” Though none of this was reported in the US, this group, tied directly to NATO intelligence services was linked to terrorist acts throughout Europe and even in South America. The report reads as follows:

“In December 1985 magistrates in Bologna issued 16 arrest warrants, including at least three to P-2 members, accusing members of the Italian intelligence service SISMI of first planning and then covering up the Bologna bombing. One of these 16 was P-2’s leader Licio Gelli, who had spent most of the post-war years in Argentina. A small group of anarchists, penetrated by delle Chiaie’s man Mario Merlino, were blamed at first for the Piazza Fontana bombing, even though Sismi knew within six days that delle Chiaie was responsible, and Merlino had planted the bomb.”

THE “BUZZ WORDS” OF MURDER

We now use terms like “Low Intensity Conflict” and “Surrogacy Warfare” to describe terrorism operated by governments against either foreign governments or, more often, their own people. Most “false flag” attacks are used to influence elections or to push through “Patriot Act” and “FISA” type legislation or to justify acts like the invasion of Iraq. Control of both the press and any potential investigation makes such operations a mainstream effort of national policy, so commonplace that those who work in intelligence or at the highest levels of law enforcement automatically write off major terrorism incidents as staged.

In Vietnam, Operation Phoenix was terrorism, meant to kill civilian “communists” including doctors, nurses, teachers and even religious leaders. We ran similar programs in Central America for years, killing thousands, nuns, reporters, union leaders and moderate politicians we were afraid would eventually join with communists. It was a horrible embarrassment to the CIA that the “communist dictatorship” in Nicaragua was voted out of office in an open election they sponsored. We had been running death squads throughout that country from our bases on Honduras for years.

Similar operations have been staged all over the world, from Chile to Korea to Indonesia, the Philippines and the United States. Half the bombings during the 60s and 70s were planned or influenced by “informants” or “agent provocateurs” as described by Cossiga. The massive infiltration of the militia movements of the 80s and 90s brings the Oklahoma City bombing into question.

EVERY DAY, ALL OVER THE WORLD

If a train or bus blows up in London, it is best to look at who is visiting, what political party is going to gain or what scandal needs to be pushed off the front page. In India, the Mumbai attacks, blamed on Pakistan, did nothing for Pakistan. Who gained? Israel gained as did India, gained massively. When a school is blown up in Pakistan and blamed on the Taliban, Pakistan doesn’t believe the Taliban had anything to do with it. When Iran is attacked from Balochistan, it knows nobody in Balochistan planned the attack.

Yes, there are real terrorists, people without hope who are pushed to extremism through exploitation, often by religious fanatics or hucksters. For every Maddrassa in Pakistan, there is a church in the US, perhaps ten, advocating beliefs that can lead nowhere but to violence.

BREEDING TERRORISM AT HOME

Radicals within the United States have always been a serious problem. A good analytical tool is the simple public poll. It reveals how gullible a population is and how easy they would be to fool. The primary groundwork for terrorism is control of the press and the molding of public opinion. With foreign governments with highly suspect intelligence agencies infiltrating the press, as they have in the United States, there is little doubt that providing cover for “false flag” terrorism is in the cards.

A RECENT HARRIS POLL REVEALS THE FOLLOWING BELIEFS BY ONE AMERICAN PARTY DEEMED “RIGHT OF CENTER”:

67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist

45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was “not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president”

38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is “doing many of the things that Hitler did”

57 percent of Republicans believe President Obama is a Muslim

24 percent of Republicans believe President Obama may be the AntiChrist

HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO BLAME THE EASTER BUNNY FOR 9/11 WITH FOLKS LIKE THIS AROUND?

The basic rule is simply this, if terrorists suffer as a result of an attack, bring down massive retaliation, if new laws are passed or a public is aroused, then we are probably dealing with a “false flag” attack, not a genuine terrorist act. If a terror attack, such as the phony “Crotch Bombing” in Detroit are staged and individuals tied directly to security agencies make millions in profits overnight, you can be absolutely certain, no questions asked. Who benefits from today’s attack on Moscow?

Who says we have no leaders? If we have the MIR Jaffars like Hussain Haqqani, Rehman Malik [read it Dakait] Zardari, Gilani , Asfandyar and Nawaz Shareef, we have Tipu Sultans also. Prior to attacking the patriotic tribal by Meerasi General Parvez Musharraf on the direction of the military and political leadership’s masters in Washington the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were considered the protectors of the rest of Pakistan. Now they have “reportedly” picked up guns against the “state”.

It’s not the story we are discussing here, however the Lawmakers from same FATA have showed up some self-respect in Washington, the things which we all have been desperately expecting from our government.

According to Dawn “Miffed at being asked to undergo a full body scanning at an American airport, a group of Fata lawmakers cut short their visit to the United States and flew back home.”

The six-member delegation, which included both senators and members of the National

Assembly, boarded a Kuwait Airways flight at Washington’s Dulles airport after the dispute.

They had come to the United States on Feb 28 on a 15-day visit.

On Saturday morning, they were scheduled to fly to New Orleans as part of their tour.

But when they arrived at the airport, two of them were marked for random checking, which included a body-scan.

They refused to accept the demand, saying that they would rather go home than submit to the proposed scanning.

Senator Abbas Khan Afridi, a senior member of the delegation, later told journalists that other lawmakers backed their colleagues and told US officials that they too would go home if their colleagues were not exempted.

US State Department officials, who were travelling with the delegation, took the lawmakers back to their hotel in Washington where Pakistan’s deputy chief of mission and other senior US officials joined them.

Dawn reports that Pakistan’s Deputy Chief of Mission tried to persuade the lawmakers to change their minds, telling them that all passengers in the United States had to go through random checking.

Mr Afridi said that the lawmakers considered the scanning order an insult to the parliamentarians of a sovereign country and decided to call off their visit.

Some would term it point scoring and others would call it publicity stunt but to me it’s a demonstration of self-respect. To this day our governments, also include military leadership, have given out the message that we are the only nation on this earth with no word of sovereignty, dignity and self-respect in our dictionaries. The actions like this at least help us prove that we are state with people who care self-respect and that Pakistan is not a sold-out nation. Guys I am proud of you. And you need red carpet reception at Pakistani airport.

Although, Being a Political Islamist, I deem it my duty to respect the ambassador of the enemy country even as but both Islam, the basis of the constitution of Pakistan, and International Law give hosting country the right to expel the ambassador if he/she is involved in the extra diplomatic activities or illegal activities considered as against the hosting country. Unfortunately, Pakistan is a “sovereign” country where American Ambassadors have been enjoying the power equal to the head of the state of Pakistan, however the lady ambassador Ms Patterson has been found guilty of running a parallel military force Blackwater which is doing terrorism inside Pakistan. We have a long list of her crime but some of her these are discussed by Ahmed Quraishi in the following article which he thinks has led to the sour relationship between the two countries; however in my sincere opinion our nationalism and patriotism demands a strong nation wide campaign to expel Ms Patterson from this country immediately. If the United States wants good diplomatic relationship with Pakistan, it should appoint an ambassador and not goon like A. W. Patterson.

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A. W. Patterson is chatting with the US Agent Lieutenant General Talat Masood

SLAMABAD, Pakistan—US Ambassador to Pakistan Ms. Anne W. Patterson is becoming quite controversial. She has overseen the worst spell in the relationship between Washington and Islamabad in sixty years and many say she is responsible for at least some of it. Ties weren’t this bad even when the United States unfairly sanctioned Pakistan in 1990 over its nuclear program.

Mr. Thomas Houlahan, a Washington DC-based expert on Pakistani military issues, accused her in 2008 of conducting ‘bunker diplomacy’—that is, conducting United States diplomacy with Pakistan from the barricaded and isolated confines of her office inside a heavily fortified embassy building which in turn is located inside the isolated Diplomatic Enclave in an outer tip of Pakistan’s federal capital.

Her reports back to Washington are misleading, explained Mr. Houlahan, because she doesn’t really know what Pakistanis are thinking.

For information, Washington’s diplomats in Pakistan have been relying on two things: a pro-US government whose principals owe their power to a deal brokered and guaranteed by the US, and a list of proverbial ‘good guys’ that Ms. Patterson’s Embassy recruited from the media, including retired diplomats, military officers and academia, who could take America’s case to the Pakistani public opinion.

This strategy backfired. Big time.

Failing to see that Pakistanis were asking for respect and not confrontation, she shot alarming reports back to Washington warning of an organized campaign in Pakistani media to assail US reputation.

She also might have overlooked another small detail: the US ambassador in Pakistan is a potential suspect in a case of bribing a senior Interior Ministry official in order to get a cache of banned weapons into Pakistan without the knowledge of the country’s intelligence.

The alarm generated by Ms. Patterson and her team led US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to rush to Pakistan in order to counter the Pakistani media, with carefully-orchestrated interviews and public appearances where Ms. Patterson did her best to keep Mrs. Clinton away from the ‘bad guys’. She ensured that her boss never met those commentators and media people who could provide the harsh, but legitimate, viewpoint.

This misrepresentation on the part of Ms. Patterson led someone no less than US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to land in Pakistan making a highly inappropriate statement, where he accused legitimate critics of US policy toward Pakistan of orchestrating an ‘an organized propaganda campaign’. He probably had no idea that legitimate criticism of policy by Pakistanis claiming they want US not to ignore Pakistani interests did not qualify to be described as ‘an organized propaganda campaign’.

[There are indications that some Pakistanis in Mr. Zardari’s government, and not just Ms. Patterson, helped create this misperception in Washington. Topping the list of Pakistani suspects is Mr. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s envoy in Washington, a key aide to Mr. Zardari and recently the wizard behind Mr. Zardari’s media outreach campaign. Mr. Haqqani has been quite active behind the scenes in mounting a counterattack on the critics of Mr. Zardari and the critics of US in Pakistan. Recently, large numbers of Pakistani legislators have publicly accused Mr. Haqqani of misusing his official position to poison American perceptions of Pakistan’s military and intelligence.]

So, in essence, Ms. Patterson squandered two great opportunities – the visits of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Gates – to address the concerns of the harshest critics in the Pakistani media. Due to Ms. Patterson’s failure, it fell to the Pakistani military to discuss those concerns with counterparts in the US military and use that channel to convey Pakistan’s legitimate concerns about how the US was ignoring Pakistani strategic interests in the region.

What Ms. Patterson should have helped resolve in the civilian arena was actually tackled, and somewhat resolved, in the military arena. But the damage is done. United States’ combative ambassador in Islamabad has left a permanent scar in the media record of the two countries, with silly accusations of anti-Americanism and harassment of diplomats.

In 2008, Ms. Patterson accused ‘irresponsible elements’ in the Pakistani media of spreading lies about Dr. Aafia Siddiqui being in US custody in Afghanistan.

Yesterday, the British journalist who uncovered Dr. Siddiqui’s presence inside US-controlled Bagram basewrote a damning piece showing that Ambassador Patterson basically lied to the Pakistani public in her 2008 letter, which she sent to Pakistani newspapers.

This is what Ms. Ridley has to say about Ms. Patterson:

“Everyone had something to say, everyone that is except the usually verbose US Ambassador Anne Patterson who has spent the last two years briefing against Dr Aafia and her supporters.

This is the same woman who claimed I was a fantasist when I gave a press conference with Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan back in July 2008 revealing the plight of a female prisoner in Bagram called the Grey Lady.

She said I was talking nonsense and stated categorically that the prisoner I referred to as “650” did not exist.

By the end of the month she changed her story and said there had been a female prisoner but that she was most definitely not Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

By that time Aafia had been gunned down at virtually point blank range in an Afghan prison cell jammed full of more than a dozen US soldiers, FBI agents and Afghan police.

Her Excellency briefed the media that the prisoner had wrested an M4 gun from one soldier and fired off two rounds and had to be subdued. The fact these bullets failed to hit a single person in the cell and simply disappeared did not resonate with the diplomat.

In a letter dripping in untruths on August 16 2008 she decried the “erroneous and irresponsible media reports regarding the arrest of MsAafia Siddiqui”. She went on to say: “Unfortunately, there are some who have an interest in simply distorting the facts in an effort to manipulate and inflame public opinion. The truth is never served by sensationalism…”

When Jamaat Islami invited me on a national tour of Pakistan to address people about the continued abuse of Dr Aafia and the truth about her incarceration in Bagram, the US Ambassador continued to issue rebuttals.

She assured us all that Dr Aafia was being treated humanely had been given consular access as set out in international law … hmm. Well I have a challenge for Ms Patterson today. I challenge her to repeat every single word she said back then and swear it is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

As Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s trial got underway, the US Ambassador and some of her stooges from the intelligence world laid on a lavish party at the US Embassy in Islamabad for some hand-picked journalists where I’ve no doubt in between the dancing, drinks and music they were carefully briefed about the so-called facts of the case.

Interesting that some of the potentially incriminating picturestaken at the private party managed to find the Ambassador was probably hoping to minimize the impact the trial would have on the streets of Pakistan proving that, for the years she has been holed up and barricaded behind concrete bunkers and barbed wire, she has learned nothing about this great country of Pakistan or its people.

One astute Pakistani columnist wrote about her: “The respected lady seems to have forgotten the words of her own country’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”.

Well I, and many others across the world like me, can’t handle any more lies. America’s reputation is lying in the lowest gutters in Pakistan at the moment and it can’t sink any lower.

The trust has gone, there is only a burning hatred and resentment towards a superpower which sends unmanned drones into villages to slaughter innocents.

It is fair to say that America’s goodwill and credibility is all but washed up with most honest, decent citizens of Pakistan.

And I think even Her Excellency Anne Patterson recognizes that fact which is why she is now keeping her mouth shut.

If she has any integrity and any self respect left she should stand before the Pakistan people and ask for their forgiveness for the drone murders, the extra judicial killings, the black operations, the kidnapping, torture and rendition of its citizens, the water-boarding, the bribery, the corruption and, not least of all, the injustice handed out to Dr Aafia Siddiqui and her family.

She should then pick up the phone to the US President and tell him to release Aafia and return Pakistan’s most loved, respected and famous daughter and reunite her with the two children who are still missing.”

Far from the way Ms. Patterson portrayal of Pakistanis as a bunch of ‘anti-Americanists’, most Pakistanis believe in the goodness of the American people and that this American here [click to see the video and report] represents America much better than Ms. Patterson has unsuccessfully been trying so far in Pakistan, with all due respect.

“The American court acquits Dr Aafia Siddiqui” The ticker blinks on TV screens is followed by the screen flashes “Breaking News; The US court releases Afia Siddiqui” “The justice has been made by the exemplary American judicial system.”

The News anchors inform us that Pakistani Ambassador to the US Mr. Hussain Haqqani will hold a press conference shortly. At the same time, the tickers read “Quid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain has praised Americans for making justice and freeing the daughter of Nation” The news anchors announce that MQM chief has made a phone call to Aafia’s mother which is to telecasted on TV channels live. The audience listens to Altaf Hussain. He is followed by messages from President of Pakistan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister, Mr Rehman Malik, chief of Pakistan Muslims league (N) Mr. Mian Nawaz Shareef, Secretary General Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Syed Mushahid Hussain. Besides, shorts statements of different national leaders are displayed at TV screens, all congratulating Aafia’s family and praising US judicial system.

After a while TV channels started three to four footage at the same time, the one covering Dr Aafia’s resident in Karachi, the second one showing different leaders praising America. The third footage shows footage of press conferences by Afia Lawyers and Hussain Haqqani live from New York. All member of MQM’s Rabta committee have gathered at Aafia’s residents showing their speaking abilities in front of camera. Besides, dozens of local leaders of all political parties are trying to stand beside Mrs. Asmat Siddiqui, Mother of Afia Sidduiq and her sister Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, who are ready to give their views on Aafia’s Acquittal.

Fortunately or unfortunately we couldn’t see all this, not because our political leadership had gone to bed that late night but the US jury had found Dr Aafia “Guilty”, and no one would opt to speak against the United State which has Washington, the de facto capital of Pakistan. Some two days before I was telling my wife how would the house of Aafia looking. After listening about the verdict she reminded me that I was wrong. “But I didn’t say that the verdict will be against Aafia, now when the verdict has changed, we wouldn’t be able to see the waving colorful flags of different political parties inside Aafia House. But yes Altaf bhai is very much there, although he is Altaf Shakoor, president of Pasban”, I relied.

Not to mention the response of our political leadership was disappointing but the reaction of Aafia Mother and Sister’s was not just encouraging but a milestone for the struggle of those who are working against the terrorist and bastard American nation’s inhuman and terrorist policies. Mrs. Asmat Siddiqui informed us that the “it [the verdict] is the beginning of the end of America”. No doubt its Allah’s willing that HE chose Aafia Siddiqui for exposing the bias judicial system of America. Allah (SWT) does his work if even we do nothing but don’t we have any responsibility?

Our responsibly is to protest peacefully against the cruel and brutal policies of the United State of America which will soon turn into distributed States of America InshaAllah, but this is not our prime responsibility. Our prime duty is to get red of their agents who have held the reign of power in our Muslim countries. Nearly all rulers in the Muslim world, Pakistan being the worst, are more characterless than pimps; the later at least have the courage to declare what they are. But these pimps don’t open their mouth when their “father” do anything negative.

Although, my words may be harsh, but there is nothing final at my end. Instead I want to start a debate which should result in consensus that what practical steps we can take to get our sister Aafia back home and convict the bastards who are in any level responsible for handing over to America. The first thing we can to is to declare their sister A.W.Patterson as persona no grata, who is directly mentoring the crusader armies inside Pakistan under diplomatic cover.

I can’t complain much if foreign agents like Anne Patterson and Hilary Clinton lied to our people, as they probably were protecting the interests of their own government, but what irks me is that our own Ministers (& President) knowingly continue to lie to their people literally selling our soul to the highest bidder and yet had the audacity to deny the real facts while our country continued to burn under our noses.

Guess it will be a fruitless exercise, but I call for an immediate resignation of Rehman Malik from the Ministry of Interior – I do not know if he is man enough to be called an honorable gentleman who at least has the courtesy to respect his statement, or even the simple courtesy of an apology – but maybe that’s asking too much from a profession crook and a hard core liar

This NEWS by SAMA TV hasn’t come as a good news to Pakistanis, instead this speaks volume of our helplessness rather brazenness. If you don’t agree with my words then tell me you have top class guns and the murderers are killing your kids but you just point those guns towards a testing range demonstrating you are well equipped. What should be called to that act? Le me keep my tongue closed as I have nothing less than dirty abusing words for that act.

The headline of News Reads, “Pakistan air defense capable to hit drone”. I ask what does prevent our “capable” armies from hitting US drones which have killed few “extremists” and hundreds of citizens of Pakistan. Or the inhabitants of FATA aren’t the citizen of Pakistan?

The news reads;

MULTAN: Pakistan Army tested its air defense system by hitting the drone on Monday. Pakistan Army tested its air defense to hit the drone in Muzaffargarh Khudai range. Pakistan Army’s air defense hit three drones successfully. Lieutenant General Ashraf Saleem said that Pakistan air defense is capable to hit the drone and all other fighter aircraft. He also added that Pakistan has advance and modern air defense system and Pakistan’s air defense system is capable to defend the air space of the country.

This news on SAMA website has also a comment under it by someone namely “arcane” who writes “Brilliant 🙂 I love Pak Army now army has shown its intention and will now it’s the job of govt to give them the greens signal”

This is exactly the message which the Pakistani Army actually wants to publicize. In fact our army wants us believe that it’s not their fault if unchecked and no-stop drones “visits” us so often. It is the political leadership which has failed to shows its love for sovereignty and integrity of this strange peace of land called Pakistan and is unable to protect its citizens from the evil devil and savage United State of America which has been successful in converting its Afghan War into Af-Pak war.

44 US drone have reportedly hits in Pakistan resulting in 700 civilians murders in 2009 alone.

As of April 2009, the total 60 drones had killed 14 al-Qaeda men while 687 civilians. According to a Report published in The News:

50 out of 60 drone attacks went wrong due to faulty intelligence information, killing hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children. The number of the Pakistani civilians killed in those 50 attacks stood at 537, in which 385 people lost their lives in 2008 and 152 people were slain in the first 99 days of 2009 (between January 1 and April 8).

The attacks which have been killing 97.96% innocent Pakistanis including women and children, depends whether the Punjab dominated army and civil establishment accept them Pakistanis or not, is thing needs to be protested over? Or the capable Pakistan Army “respect” political decisions of US support? What makes the Army Generals the most obedient guys who burst over American’s Kerry Lugar bill is not an old story? What green signal I ask? Has it waited for political orders on Kerry Lugar Bill?

These are Criminals; They live in This City which they burnt. They are here in Karachi. You may know or more of these terrorist. Identify them. The criminals should not be let to live among us. There real place is Jail. Play your role if you are part of the civil soceity, if you are God Fearing and don’t afraid of the terrorist of the city.

Tahir Bhai is very dear to me. Not just because he is a friend and from the same village but also because he is a very learned man and patriotic Pakistani. Although I can hardly agree with any of his analysis, I must say that his sincerity while analyzing the present day situation is beyond doubts. His write-up below was published in two national English dailies. The same article has been published in The News on Sunday with the heading “Changing Mindset” I picked it up for Talkhaba’s readers not because I agree with what he has tried to make us believe but because I want this article should be discussed. I do agree with some parts of this article. The parts to which I agree are in blue font while the points I disagree with are in RED font. My views are bracketed. Before you read the article read this news appeared in Daily Jang Karachi on 25th December 2009, the birthday of founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

There’s less and less support for militants

TAHIR ALI

WEEKEND MAGAZINE (December 19 2009): The frequent terror strikes seem to have caused visible shifts in public opinion. Militants and their political supporters are increasingly loosing popular support in the backdrop of an emerging anti-private jihad consensus in the country. But the fact is people are afraid of the invisible enemy and most avoid making open hostile statements against the insurgents for fear of reprisal. [What is militancy, before that we will have to assess who is our enemy.It’s also hard to believe that all forces fighting our armies and attacking common people are Taliban. A must read article here enlighten us]

And that it is still a long way to go to achieve that terror/retaliation free environment in the country. Analysts say there are several positive signs. The security establishment has shunned its earlier policy of appeasement or support to the militants. Much of the political leadership has also given up its familiar reluctance to act against the militants. [The only ‘positive’ sign that the action by our own army against our own people has been legitimize through elements like Swati Taliban]

Religious-political parties, forced by the heat of anti-extremist sentiments, have reconciled their strategies and abandoned their Jihadi tones. [They had abandoned it the day a meerasi Army General sided with crusaders] There is increasing support to the security forces in militancy-hit zones[what is the sources, note army is a party and its press releases can not be called sources. Similarly Taliban is party so their version can not be sources.].Jihadi charity boxes have disappeared from markets. Religious scholars avoid Jiahdi sermons. Most of the illegal FM radio stations, the biggest tool of extremist propaganda, have gone silent and so on.

Until recently, New Year nights’ programmes, cinema houses and billboards with women pictures were attacked. Music functions were forcefully stopped. Students were openly enticed to volunteer for ‘Jihad’ first in Afghanistan and then in Kashmir. Picture and video shows were organised profusely to attract youngsters to ‘Jihad’.[This was also abandoned many years before the American attack on the Muslims of Afghanistan. The reason better known to those used to organized these activities previously]

However, situation has changed now. Religious parties that once talked of hoisting national flag on the Red Fort of Delhi and threatened suicide attacks against foreign naval ships avoid similar outbursts. New Year nights and night-clubs are no more attacked by baton-wielding workers. ‘Kashmir has been left to the Kashmiris’. Religious parties don’t run any Jihadi training/fund raising campaigns any more.

“Save a minority comprising a few right wing/religious parties, majority population is no more interested in the Jihadi rhetoric and culture. This could be the beginning of a new era in Pakistan marked by more tolerance and moderation,” argued a political activist wishing not to be named.

Renowned analyst and religious scholar Dr Mohammad Farooq Khan said it was a happy development that around 99 percent of population and military and political leadership were on the same frequency on how to tackle the threat. [From where did he know about 99 percent population? Had he conducted any census?]

“We had been advocating since the last 15 years that private jihad is not only against Islam but is also a dangerous strategy. We are happy that finally the establishment and religious parties have realised it. They have practically given up their practical support to jihad though the latter would hardly accept it. No doubt they have done so after bad practical experiences and were late to do that, it is a welcome development anyway,” he said.

“Musharraf and the previous MMA-led NWFP government had shown criminal negligence vis-à-vis the Taliban in Malakand which made things difficult for the coming government. But happily the operations – ‘Rah-e-Rast’ in Swat and ‘Rah-e-Nijat’ in Waziristan – have been the most successful ever operations of the world history,” Khan added.[It’s shocking to read that only previous government had shown criminal negligence. Didn’t the writer read the statements of ANP leadership especially provincial minister information Iftikhar Hussain? Was the operation ‘Rah’e’Rast in swat started by ANP government or Army? Where has the bastard Mullah Fazalullah gone? What about the cases of Muslim Khan who was brought from America by the America and For America?]

Former chief secretary FATA and security expert Brigadier Mehmood Shah agreed that an anti-private jihad consensus was developing in society. “Swatis are now openly supporting the government but the situation in Waziristan is not that encouraging. There is general fear amongst the people there militants might come back in the area.”

“But one thing is for sure that people have overwhelmingly turned against the misuse of religion for political motives. It is in this background that the religious parties have shunned militant approaches. They simply cannot go against the tide. To save society from the threat of extremism and terrorism, a civil society movement like the one for restoration for judiciary is needed. Live media has exposed the religious parties to the nation.

The religious class in simply unable to lead the nation. Modern religious scholars and intellectuals should take the interpretation of religion from them,” he commented. Dr Begum Jan, chairperson tribal women welfare association, didn’t see any positive outcome any time soon. “We are just harvesting what we had sown years ago. Security situation is worse despite claims of victory in Malakand and I think the announced surge in US troops in Afghanistan would just add fuel to fire.” [ Pls correct that we are harvesting what our army had sown]

“But one development is encouraging to see. I saw in 2001 when Mullahs agitated against the US invasion in my area that they were given generous donations for onward supply to Afghan Taliban. But if these Mullahs ask for funds today, I am afraid the people would beat them rather,” she said. Begum Jan said the people of Waziristan and other agencies had suffered badly and they would never ever support the mullahs.

“Now we should save our children in the given scenario from religious seminaries and offer them religious education at home. The government should bring FATA at par with rest of the country through fast track and corruption free development schemes. It should provide jobs to the youth in the region to save them from extremists who give them lucrative offers in return for support,” she said.

Militancy hit areas like parts of Malakand division are experiencing shifts in general perceptions. Security agencies are having the greatest ever popular support.

Former federal minister and nationalist leader Afzal Khan Lala said people had supported the militants not out of love but for fear because they killed their opponents. “They may give even more support to army and the government if they are emboldened and ensured of safety. There is not yet hundred percent supports to security forces. For example, one of the two main tribes in Shah Dheri Kabal has formed a lashkar against the militants but the other is reluctant to do so.

The security forces have more communication and interaction with the general public,” he opined. Lala also chastised the religious parties for not opposing militants. He praised Army for getting the area rid of insurgents. Amir Muqam, president of the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) NWFP and a parliamentarian, observed how the nation could support those who killed their children, brothers and destroyed their businesses.

Muqam said that the army had established writ of the state for which the nation stood indebted to it. “But this now will have to be maintained by the civilian forces. Basic amenities would have to be provided and problems solved. There should be a sound plan to deal with the post-operation situation. There is still fear of return of militants. Militants after all have not been eliminated altogether. The government must safeguard those who side with it,” he said.

Sadullah Khan from Buner said the army has won us the area back. “It has done that in Swat and Waziristan too. The notion of invincibility of militants has been buried for ever.” An old man from Kabal Swat, wishing anonymity, said Swatis followed the extremists because they talked good.

“They disappointed us when they took over the area. We will never support them and would rather support the government. Let us hope that it would be the old tolerant Buner and Swat where different religious groups have lived peacefully for centuries,” he said. The man narrated a family of Syeds in his area commanded respect. “We always accepted their arbitration in our controversies. But the family joined the Taliban. And the people of the area then killed several of them with their own hands,” he said.

US president Barrack Obama also alluded to the fact in his last address. “In the past, there have been those in Pakistan who have argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight. But in recent years, as innocents have been killed from Karachi to Islamabad, public opinion has turned,” he said. There is a growing national pride. “The tragedy was huge. The state acted like a mother.

Had it not come up to the expectations, the tragedy would have been more devastating. The militants wanted to create disbelief but miserably failed,” argued Shakir Khan, a former IDP from Swat. There were frequent desertions from the army and police in initial days. Around 80 percent persons in Swat and Buner had deserted for fear of militants. That trend has reversed. And recently there has been a new urge in the youngsters to join the security forces.

“When enemies are bent upon destroying the society, why should I lag behind? Though I didn’t want to join army or police in the past, I now am for it. I want to fight Pakistan’s enemies and take them head on,” declared Saeed Khan, a college student in Charsadda. Collection of donations by jihadi organisations has also declined. There are indeed Chanda boxes in shops and markets but these are of Sahara Trust, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and other genuine humanitarian organisations.

“The phenomenon has weakened for various reasons: People don’t like to give donations as they did in the past. They are fed up of a mushroom growth of jihadi outfits. Poverty is also a factor. They avoid it for fear of arrests too,” said a shopkeeper in Mardan who wished not to be named. Swat Taliban also collected huge sums through donations given by the people especially women. Jehanzeb from Mingora Swat said they didn’t know they would buy arms with their alms.

“They were given generous alms to build, as they had promised, mosques and madrassas. But look! Where did the money turn out at the end? We had no idea that they would buy arms with our money to wage war against Pakistan and kill our children,” he added. There were numerous FM channels in the air before the latest onslaught against the extremists in Malakand and the tribal belt. These were blatantly used for anti-state and extremist propaganda. Almost all of these stand closed now.

However minorities living in the Malakand and tribal belt have also been severely affected by the ongoing tensions. Buner and Swat had a sizable presence of Hindu and Sikh people. Atleast 15 families, including some known professionals, have migrated to India of late. Ashok Kapoor, the general secretary of the Hindu-Sikh Sudhar Sabha, said though the violence was not specific to them, minorities have suffered badly.

“We know how the minorities could be safe when majority was not. But that ensuing lack of security and slump in businesses has led to migration of quite a few of them to India is agonising to say the least. Jagdesh Lal, the son of Bhajan Lal, was kidnapped in 2003 but he is yet to return homes. Tilak Raj left Mingora for India when his brother was killed last Ramazan and his own life was endangered.

The family of Dr Mohan Kumar, a notable doctor from Buner, has also shifted to India. Dr Jian Parkash, also from Buner who ran a big hospital there, also plans to go because of his brother’s murder. Others are also considering departure which would be a tragedy if materialised. Pakistan is our country. We want to live here.” Kapoor said the mainstream population was very caring for their community. But community needs motivation, support and co-ordinated efforts on part of district administrations, NGOs and security forces to change their minds away from leaving the country.[These minorities may be right but it may be exception or the situation may be not that serious. Read the news uploaded as picture]

Siraj-ul-Haq, former senior minister and ex-amir of Jamat-e-Islami, however, declined to accept that jihadi culture had weakened and that new developments had forced them shun jihadi enticements. “Jihad continues in Afghanistan. We think that US interference there and in Pakistan is the root cause of the problems. We have started our jihad against the USA – the “go America go” campaign – by organising political rallies and train marches.”

Haq said JI believed in political and constitutional means. “JI never had any military wing. We don’t believe in under-ground activities. If any one thinks JI is a B-team of agencies, he should remove this misconception.”

If Americans had a News of similar proportions, which Muslims have at this point in time, it would have really sparked hundreds of hours of exclusive coverage on every news channels … thousands of discussions of different lengths would also have been aired, and around a thousand interviews of experts, politicians, analysts etc would have become a part of memory of viewers … all in a very short period of time. In addition to that, hundreds of documentaries of various lengths would have been made on the subject or been in the process of being produced. Last but not the least; this news would also have pushed Hollywood to start production of five to six mega budget movies.
So what’s the news?

Dear Readers! Americans and allies have been defeated by the freedom fighters/Mujahideens in Afghanistan. A news of historical proportions, isn’t it…!!!

A few years back, one fine day Americans learnt something similar … that Russians have been defeated by Mujahideens in Afghanistan; and when the news came, it sparked a parade of discussions, columns, interviews, documentaries and feature films, et al, like we are anticipating that it would have been the case now …
However despite knowing this, the behavior of Muslim Ummah is quite contrast and dumbfounding. They have a news of historic proportions, as already said, though it’s not making a headline, not even in an evening newspaper… This could be the height of our journalistic incapacity and intellectual slavery of independent media, and the same is also true for the entire Muslim Population, perhaps. Telling it is … we don’t even know how to even celebrate triumph … but why?
Some think that it’s the unavailability of sufficient financial resources, though I disagree. The problem, my friend, is with our priorities and misconceptions. We know people who can spend millions, if not billions, to erect Madrassahs or Masjids, however if you ask for their support to establish an independent TV channel, then they might not even spare a rupees. “It’s not a religious activity, isn’t it … would it bring bounties in Akhirah?”
It is questioned due to a common perception that mass media is a means to spread vulgarity and negativity etc; public clings to this perception despite realizing that media is indeed the most effective and efficient tool to manage and form perceptions or opinions. Ironically, concordantly, millions believes blindly that the ‘picture (read distortion) of reality’ shown by media is indeed ‘Reality’ and what it ignores either doesn’t exist or is irrelevant. This fact is saddening with far reaching consequences.
Albeit the sorry state of print or electronic media in general, we do have some exceptions to talk about. Take Al-Jazeerah for instance; doing a splendid job despite the rule of monarchist and dictators in the Middle Eastern countries it operates, where waking and radicalizing the population is more difficult then it seems. Al-Jazeerah, however have accomplished the unimaginable, and we must ask how?
Al-Jazeerah exposed the aggression of Israel, and it not only reported the details on bombings and attacks by oppressive force(s) (extra ‘s’ for its supporting allies), but also revealed the human sufferings caused as a result, the pains and suffering of people whose family members have been martyred, how they has been treated by authorities … it also reported the economic difficulties faced by them as a result, and eventualities on future of their children. Al-Jazeerah uncovered these issues with such a detail that it was never done before, sparking a reaction against Israelis and Americans.
If all the print and electronic media of Muslim world would have the spirit Al-Jazeerah had, then the ball game would have been very different, knowing the fact that the American and Allies in Afghanistan have been defeated. Our media could have then played a pivotal role in uplifting the moral of the Muslim Ummah, and would have in turn achieved a psychological victory against the so called imperial masters.
Muslim Ummah has been a sufferer of inferiority complex since a long time; blind folded by a perception that we are deprived of resources, wealth, technology, etc, which is why western civilization have all the power and might … but remain ignorant to the fact that an Ummah who can defeat two super powers in just twenty years, must have some extraordinary qualities.
People generally believe that Americans are fighting Afghans in Afghanistan, but that’s not really the case … in reality it’s a war being won by ‘Faith’ against ‘state of the art technology’, on one side and on the other, triumph of ‘intense desire to die for a cause’ (read martyrdom) against ‘world’s greatest military might’; it is undeniably changing the face of the history forever…
Despite all this, Muslim Ummah is unaware of the glory, and ironically we don’t even have a tool to wake ourselves from the slumber.

Zardari is corrupt but try the main culprits who brings corrupts

Abbas Ather is a Jiyala and so is my father, but believe me I have no sympathy for this “socialist” party occupied by bourgeoisie from the day one. My father disagrees when I say the “day one” but confesses the party deviated from its ideology when BB took the charge and in his words “opened the doors for corrupt landlords and capitalists”. He always remains unrequited when I remind him that where had that “revolutionary proletarian leadership” and their Jiyalas gone when their leaders was hanged? May be they were on leave. By the way now days they are enjoying high positions in multinationals and big national groups exploiting the working class. Their only work has remained to ridicule any logics coming from the right. This is how today’s “leftist” can be described. Mr. Abbas Ather, the group editor of Daily Express can also be called one of the “remains of socialism”

His analysis of NRO, Corruption and Zardari is must read although he has spoken “half truth. I don’t know whether the reason behind writing down this piece is to defend his president or to show mirror to those who, once, had coined special words for praising Zardari on the occasion of entering into president house.

Mr. Abbas informs us that Zardari was elected as president by more than two third of the elective representatives. Certainly they all didn’t belong to Zardari’s party. A million dollars question by Abbas Ather is as why did they vote in favor of Zardari if he was corrupt? How come at sudden they got to know that Zardari is corrupt? This senior journalist has reminded the political leadership of their support to Zardari during his election. He has mentioned the name of my favor actor, Peer-London Altaf Hussain also but has forgot to tell his readers that here in Pakistan everyone gets NOC from our military leadership and their bosses in Washington and so did Zardari. Why did our military establishment accept Zardari as president two year back? Wasn’t he corrupt then?

Abbas Ather you have done half work by penning down this article. Let’s write another one, enlightening the nation on what is the actual problem. Mir Says “Marz Barhta Gaya Joon Joon Dawa Ki” (The more it increases with its treatment) but I say it increased because of improper diagnose. First diagnose the disease, and then prescribe the medicines. To replace one corrupt with another is no remedy to the problems of Pakistan. The problem is USA and unconstitutional role of Pakistan Army. Abbas Ather won’t suggest this remedy as these past time socialists have changed their Qibala and now they are bowing before Washington. But believe me hold free and fair elections without interference from Pak Army and USA; I assure that the parties occupied by corrupt politicians will disappear like the “horn from donkey’s head”

PESHAWAR – Seventeen officials serving in NWFP on various important posts are active members of the notorious American Khyber Club (AKC) that is believed to be a hotbed of conspiracies against Pakistan, highly placed sources informed TheNation on Sunday.

These officials are facilitating American diplomats, operatives of CIA and mercenaries of Blackwater in their activities stretched across the province and FATA. In reciprocation, the local officials get full support in getting lucrative postings, transfers and getting away with inquiries, etc, sources disclosed and added they are taken care by Americans who have tones of money on their disposal.

“Those who stand out in serving US interests are posted on the posts of their own choice despite lapse of tenure, and this speaks of increasing American influence in our internal matters,” an official said..

Their nominees get US visas in no time and the children as well as siblings of some officials are getting free education in prestigious institutions abroad.

These days serving American interests is more fruitful for anyone than serving interests of Pakistan, an official who was made OSD for an unforgivable crime of non-cooperation with foreigners told TheNation.

The top 17 officials who have made American Khyber Club their second home include nine from District Management Group (DMG), six officers representing Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), while two are in the Office Management Group (OMG).

The PSP officers who take pride in having personal relations with American operatives hail from Peshawar, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Waziristan and Kohat. They have been spotted roaming around with foreigners in their bulletproof cars and holding secret meetings with them in their offices which is an open violation of rules and regulations, sources informed.

The DMG officials who are protecting US interests in the region hail from Peshawar, Nowshehra, Swabi, Mardan and Charsadda. They also use the American Khyber Club as their unofficial secretariat. The officials belonging to OMG and PSC Executive Group hail from Waziristan and Shabqadar.

Orders have been repeatedly circulated that government officials can’t meet foreigners (Americans) without prior approval from the authorities concerned but no one seems to be interested in abiding by the rules.

On the other hand, those who are not in the good books of the American Consulate have been given insignificant posts or have simply been made Officers on Special Duty (OSDs).

The sources informed that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency has reported the matter to the highest authorities in Islamabad.

The incident of killing a suspected suicide bomber by police in the Federal Capital on Sunday night was actually a fake police encounter and was engineered to establish good repute of cops, TheNation reliably learnt on Monday.

The police high-ups, after the incident, had claimed to save the Capital from another devastating terrorist attack.

The sources privy to the developments informed that the deceased, a suspected suicide bomber as claimed by police, had been in the custody of police for the last couple of days and was made a scapegoat only to defuse the prevailing impression that Capital Police were incapable to prevent terrorist attacks. The sources claimed that the deceased was arrested some days ago in a police raid at a house in the outskirts of the Capital during a routine search operation.

The sources also disclosed that it might be possible that the deceased was involved in some terrorist activity or was a potential suicide bomber but he was under detention of police and shot dead in a fake encounter.

The sources also informed that there was immense pressure on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, Syed Kaleem Imam, from higher authorities after the consecutive three terrorist attacks on senior Army officials in the vicinity of the Capital. It is pertinent to mention here that Brigadier Moeen was shot dead as well as two other senior Army officials namely Brigadier Waqar and Brigadier Sohail were critically injured by terrorists in three different attacks.

The news of the transfer of IGP was also heard from concerned quarters after the terrorist attack on Brigadier Sohail, as the law and order situation in the City was going from bad to worse despite installation of various police pickets and barricades.

TheNation also learnt that IGP had been remained busy in the meetings for the last two days with the other top brass of Islamabad Police to defuse the immense pressure on him. A senior police officer working under the command of IGP suggested his boss to conduct a fake encounter of some suspected suicide bomber, which was acknowledged by the latter, the sources disclosed.

“Now the next was to accomplish the idea. For this, after detailed meetings with another senior police officer, Altaf Aziz Khattack, Station House Officer (SHO) Shalimar Police Station, was selected as a suitable and fit police officer to accomplish the task and thus, in this way, the script of the play was written under the guidance of IGP,” the source revealed.

After accomplishing the mission, the SHO through a private phone conveyed to the IGP that “the mission was over” and soon after that the news was disseminated to the electronic media where it was regarded as a “great achievement” of the Capital Police.

A senior doctor at PIMS on condition of anonymity told that the deceased sustained seven bullet injuries, four on head and three on arm, according to initial post-mortem report.

Another question that arises here is that all police officials were not professional shooters but still it is interesting that the four bullets hit the head of the alleged bomber and not a single one damaged the suicide jacket.

Syed Kaleem Imam, when contacted, ruled out the possibility of any fake police encounter and said it was a genuine fight and the Islamabad police acted very wisely and boldly to foil a terrorist activity and, thus, saved the residents of the City from another bloodshed. He further said that any terrorist who would try to enter the Capital would be dealt with an iron hand.

اس گھر کو آگ لگ گئی، گھر کے چراغ سے

The above Urdu couplet tells us who to blame and who to not. Isn’t it ridiculous to blame American for our problems when our own people are bent upon destroying this country and its people? Our civil society, students, journalists and indeed some politician rightly expressed the real feeling of Pakistani society during the recent visit of Ms Clinton to Pakistan but who will educate our masses that our own people are letting blood suckers to suck the last drop of our blood? And after all they can do this as they enjoy the ‘mandate’ of majority of Pakistanis. It’s this stage where I unhappily say; “to hell with this democratic system where the illiterate majority defeats literate minority by electing the most corrupt, anti state leadership for steering the state affairs” But we still have to go along with this democratic system, as the military dictators have proved to be worst.

According to Online News Agency, Gilani’s government has issued License to the US for importing of explosives, armed weapons by violating rules and regulations.

“Government has issued license to US embassy for the import of armed weapons and explosives by violating rules and regulation, the news reads.

According to documents available with Online the permission to import of large quantity of ammunition and explosive was granted by the Ministry of Interior while ignoring the rules and regulations.

According to a letter dated May 29, 2009 the U.S. embassy in Pakistan requested to Foreign Ministry for permission to import the ammunition, which was needed to train the Crisis Response Team. Foreign Affairs Ministry contacted ministry of interior for grant of No Objection Certificate. The ministry of interior asked the intelligence agencies for necessary security clearance but without waiting for the clearance permission to import the ammunition and explosive granted the NOC on June 29, 2009. Former President Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2003 had permitted the US embassy to set up a training center in Police Training College Sihala for the training of US embassy staff against terrorist activities but now a large area within the premises of college is in possession of U.S. trainers and restricted even for the College administration and Commandant.

For information of all concerned Pakistanis who use to raise their eyebrows after Americans being caught with arm are freed with a phone call from the ministry of interior, how can Pakistan take action against the Americans who have been allowed by our own government? Do you believe in the “statement” of Rehman Malik Dakait when he says that “No one is permitted to carry army” or the documents which permit them to violate the laws of Pakistan? This news also enlightens us that why didn’t our government take action against American for storing explosive in Sihala College, near KRL.

Ms. Memon declined an invitation by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to meet her as part of her engagements with politicians and civil society representatives in Islamabad yesterday. Here she explains her reasons.

Dear Secretary Clinton,

Whilst the message from you and your government is that of peace and friendship, the Kerry Lugar Bill passed by your legislative branch has been one of the main stumbling blocks in this mission. The assumption that Pakistanis have misunderstood the bill is equally faulty. Pakistanis have read the bill and understood your intent to micromanage Pakistan, to curtail Pakistan’s nuclear expansion program and to direct the war against extremism in Pakistan from White House.
What follows below is an understanding of the bill, which needs to be amended if relations between US and patriotic Pakistanis have to be established. Your assertion that if we have issues with the bill we don’t need to take the money is ‘spot on’; patriotic Pakistanis have rejected your mere $1.5 billion. We will not negotiate on our country’s sovereignty and defence. And these are not mere slogans. They are based on facts, which we read out of your conditionalities, which do exist. And here are the facts Secretary Clinton:

The most controversial clause in the bill pertains to giving US ‘direct access to Pakistani nationals associated with such networks’. The explanation given in the note is equally unacceptable because it wants ‘cooperative efforts’ to combat proliferation to continue. This cooperation mentioned is intrusive since it demands ‘direct access’. Secretary Clinton, we have already handled our proliferators and believe in non-priliferation. This we consider a breach of our sovereignty.

The reference to Pakistan military and intelligence agencies being involved in giving support to terrorists in the past is equally offensive. This is a clause which enables the Indian lobby to target Pakistan and hold it responsible for all future terrorist acts in the region.

The other issue pertains to the fact that President Obama’s regional security strategy will include working with ‘relevant governments and organizations in the region and elsewhere.’ The strategy, which could include RAW and Mossad would be imposed on Pakistan for US national interest not Pakistan. And as such we cannot give the authority of making Pakistan’s security strategy to a US President.

There are references to expansion of Container Security Initiative at various Pakistani ports, which we consider a security hazard.

The term sanctuary for terrorism implies that Pakistan is a failed state as is included in intelligence reforms and Terrorism Prevention Act 2004.

Bill allows ‘irregular forces to be used for US combat operations in Pakistan’ as stated in the Ronald Reagan Act 2005. This in effect gives legal cover to the Dynocores and Blackwaters, which we Pakistanis have major issues with and consider a threat to our security.

The bill micromanages Pakistan’s important federal government agencies from education, madrassahs to trade, to judiciary, to natural resources. All aid given will be to NGOs and if more than $100,000 is given those NGO files will become classified. As such Pakistan will not have access to such operations. This we consider an attempt by US to create its own financial political power bases for future.

Approximately $860 million of the aid will go back to US in the form of administrative expenses etc. This truly reflects badly on the actual impact on an average Pakistani’s life.

Here were some of the issues with the bill. Now let’s examine what aggravates Pakistani sensitivities with regards to current US policies. And why you are not welcome in Pakistan by patriotic Pakistanis. This might help you understand why over 80% of Pakistanis have issues with your policies as per certain reliable surveys.

Firstly, the US stance in the war against extremism is biased towards protecting Indian and Afghan interests. The TTP and Baloch terrorists have been using these two countries and their resources as bases for their operations inside Pakistan as is proven by Pak military evidence. Whilst you consider Pakistan to be sovereign our aid is linked to these two countries, which we find distasteful.

Whilst Pakistan’s nuclear program is an issue for US, the Indian nuclear program (civil nuclear technology agreement) is being allowed to expand without any blockades.

Whilst you have personally complemented Pak military efforts in your recent visit, at the same time there are conditionalities in giving aid to Pakistan to strengthen its military against terrorists. Certainly these terrorists are linked to India and as such conditionalities are one sided. Moreover, if Pakistan military is being complemented why cant it be trusted with drone technology? Additionally US policy wishes to strengthen Pakistan’s parliament and yet it ignores the resolution passed by Pakistani parliament against drone attacks.

Whilst Pakistan is a frontline state which has paid dearly in terms of men lost in battle with terrorists, US considers India and Pakistan to be equals. Where is the advantage Pakistan should get for cooperating on terrorism? $1.5 billion is a joke compared to the billions spent in Afghanistan and Iraq, even in Turkey and Egypt. As well as the fact that no where with other allies has US imposed intrusive conditionalities.

Whilst Pakistan is blamed for terrorist sanctuaries how many infiltrators coming from India and Afghanistan specifically have you managed to stop?

The commitment for ROZs looks like its dithering. Where is the actual support for the tribals who have suffered the most in the war being fought to destabilize Pakistan?

What effort has the US played in cutting drug money, which is destabilizing Pakistan and funding terrorism considering its source of entry is US backed Afghan territory. UN report confirms that after US entry into Afghanistan opium production has increased manifold. This is impacting Pakistan’s security since it’s ready financing for terrorism inside Pakistan. Secretary Clinton, if you wish to improve Pak-US bilaterals a more productive approach would have been to not justify the bill on arrival but rather to give an open ear to the criticisms with a commitment to amending it. Since there have been no such commitments it seems fruitless to meet with you. This is even more disturbing considering that you have been given plenty of evidence of Pakistani uproar on the bill before your arrival. It’s a pity that the bill was executed minus real Pakistani input. This has no doubt created a diplomatic fiasco for the US. Instead of underestimating the fiasco or considering it a result of Pakistani lack of comprehension, it would have been better to deal with it head on: amending the bill being the only viable option.

Pakistan might have a government, which is beholden to you for its future longevity, but there are patriotic Pakistanis who will defend the soil before accepting your policies of creating a US fiefdom in Pakistan. As a young parliamentarian I would only welcome you to Pakistan once we have evidence of your shift in policy so that Pakistan is dealt with as a sovereign country.

Dr Shireen M Mazari enlightens the readers about the present wave of terrorist activities in Pakistan by comparing it with those happened in 80s in Pakistan. She questions as why don’t Taliban attack the NATO and why the Pakistanis only? The timing of bomb blasts is also crucial. Would our policy makers like to know these facts and revise Pakistan’s relationship with American? The Army has the responsibility to do this as this was its Chief, who should have been a Tablachi instead of being Army chief, who made Pakistan a living hell for Pakistanis. We urge our political and military leadership to think at least once that would it be better to kill the Agents or those who will recruit more and more if the present vanish. The Americans and Indians are the real problem. To only kill the agents will bring no change.

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The bomb blast in Peshawar with its terrible loss of life has further destroyed any remaining semblance of normality in the provincial capital. Of course all fingers are pointing to the TTP. But what should also be seen now is the link the TTP has with India and the US. After all, the TTP has so far not targeted anyone other than Pakistanis despite their claims that they are fighting the US. It is the Afghan Taliban who are targeting the US/NATO forces occupying Afghanistan. And with the US/NATO having vacated their check posts on the Afghan side of the border with Pakistan, to allow for a freer flow of arms to the TTP in South Waziristan where the Pakistan Army is battling these militants, it requires little imagination to understand the underlying linkages – or what some would term, wheels within wheels.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the recent spate of terrorism, which has shifted from being primarily suicide blasts to the targeting of security personnel and installations by armed men, as well as car bombs in busy civilian centres is the terrible sense of dTja vu one has.

If we can recall the Pakistan of the eighties, when we were the frontline state in another US war – against the Soviets in Afghanistan and the socialist regime they had installed in Kabul – we will remember the pattern of terrorism that hit out country as the CIA funded, Pakistan supported Mujahideen made gains in Afghanistan. For example in July 1987 two car bombs went off in Karachi killing 72 people and wounding 250; just nine days earlier, three blasts had occurred in Lahore within a few minutes, killing seven people. Authorities at the time had blamed these on “agents of the Communist government in neighbouring Afghanistan”. The Karachi bombings happened in Saddar – a civilian commercial centre.

There were also acts of terror in Balochistan, where the secessionists suddenly emerged fully armed, and Quetta was also targeted. Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad also saw bomb blasts, all in civilian centres. All these acts of terror were attributed to the KGB, Khad (the Afghan secret service of the time) and RAW. India was one of the few countries across the globe that had not condemned the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and had thereby made great inroads into that country. So RAW with Khad became active inside Pakistan from the western border. The strategy of the Soviet Union was clear: destabilise Pakistan to counter the growing success of the Mujahideen. This was attempted through two tracks: aggravating ethnic divides in the rural areas of Pakistan, such as rural Sindh; and terrorising the densely populated urban areas through blasts in civilian centres.

Now, once again, what are we seeing in the recent acts of terrorism? A similar pattern repeated, with a major act of terror happening in Pakistan whenever there is a major attack against US/NATO forces in Kabul. The most recent one was the downing of the US helicopter in Afghanistan just before the latest Peshawar blast. This is not to deny the local menace of militants in the form of the TTP but who is linked to this local group? Where are the money and weapons coming from? Why did the US and NATO deliberately vacate their check posts just when the Pakistan Army began its operations in South Waziristan – after continuous prodding from the US to begin with? Why are so many US citizens being caught at odd hours of the day and night in and around the capital carrying weapons to and from their embassy? Who are they supplying with these weapons?

For those of us who lived through what were then the darkest days of our history in the eighties, only the faces have changed, the style of terrorism remains the same. The CIA has replaced the KGB and Khad, but India’s RAW remains a constant. And the local agents for these new forces are the TTP. Why are we destined to suffer the same cycles of terror in our history every time we become a frontline state for the US?

Tens of thousands of people who have fled South Waziristan tell terrifying tales of falling bombs and blocked roads, which placed them at enormous peril as they tried to reach safety. Others speak of houses being destroyed in the Mehsud areas of the tribal agency. The perception of these people is significant. Many IDPs have told the media in interviews that they simply do not believe the Taliban can be defeated through military action. They argue that the bombing raids most badly affect the civilian population rather than the militants. Many are fearful that the fighting in Waziristan could continue for weeks but serve very little real purpose. These people have after all seen similar war before – with the militants each time forcing troops out. They are convinced that this time too things will be the same. Civilians say also that they are caught badly between the two fighting forces and suffer at the hands of both. Amnesty International has expressed concern over the plight of non-combatants caught in a war that is not of their own making. Other international and local right watchdog bodies had also demanded more be done during the war in Swat to keep the civilian population safe. The same holds true in South Waziristan as well.

Even in a condition of war, international humanitarian rules apply. The requirement that children, women and men be protected is the focal point. The fact that little heed has been paid to these clauses is sad, not only because it means the death of innocent people – such as the family of 12 who died after being hit by a bomb while trying to escape South Waziristan a few days ago; but also because it means the military fails to gain moral authority. It is already obvious the people of Waziristan equate it with the militants – and as a source of the suffering imposed on them. If the military campaign in Waziristan succeeds this time round, and the Taliban are genuinely defeated, the need will arise to win back the loyalty of these people. This will not be easy. Militants have held sway here for years. Alongside the secret negotiations with Mehsud tribesmen and the other efforts to break up backing for the TTP, ordinary people too need to be persuaded that state forces have respect for them and are willing to help them. This can play a key role in deciding which side they take – and their support will be a vital one in winning this war which will not end with the destruction of militant bases.

US vacates checkposts ahead of SWA operation

The US-led Nato forces vacated more than half a dozen key security checkposts on the Afghan side of the Pak-Afghan border just ahead of the major Pakistan Army ground offensive (code named: Rahe Nijaat) against Taliban-led militants in the volatile tribal area of South Waziristan, it is learnt.

It is feared that the American decision will facilitate Afghan Taliban in crossing over to Pakistan and support militants in striking back at the Pakistani security forces in the troubled tribal area.

Sources close to the NWFP government and military strategists involved in the planning of S Waziristan operation told The News over the weekend that the Americans vacated eight security checkposts on the Afghan side of the border just five days before the Army operation. Four of these close to South Waziristan including one each at Zambali and at Nurkha, and four in the north in the area of Nuristan where American forces recently came under violent attacks by the militants.

Latest reports indicate that the Americans have also removed some posts close to North Waziristan, which could encourage even more Afghan Taliban fighters to cross over to the Pakistan side. This has raised many eyebrows in government and military circles with points being made about “conflicting interests” and dubious American designs.

The NWFP government, civilian and military officials in the provincial capital have been astonished by this move and more so intrigued by its timing. Alarmed and concerned about its likely adverse affect on the military operation in S Waziristan where the Pakistani troops reportedly comprising 28,000 soldiers are expected to face fierce resistance from the heavily armed Taliban-led militants, the NWFP government recently alerted the relevant authorities in Islamabad about it.

Pakistan has now taken up this matter with the Americans and conveyed its serious concern about vacating the checkposts at this crucial juncture. Notably the security checkposts on the Afghan side of the border are already almost a third of what Pakistan has on its side.

Recent communication intercepts by Pakistani intelligence outfits have revealed that Taliban commander in Nuristan Qari Ziaur Rehman has invited TTP leader Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, former deputy of late Baitullah Mehsud, to come to Nuristan and operate from there if he finds space in Wazristan shrinking.

Experts believe the American move of vacating security checkposts on the Afghan side close to Pakistan’s border could undermine the military action by Pakistan Army. While on one hand it could offer an easy escape route to some militants, it is believed that this would facilitate movement of Afghan Taliban into Pakistan side to join hands with the al-Qaeda-backed local Taliban and other locals as well as foreign militant groups against the military action there.

Some observers see it as a tactical move by the US to ward off pressure from its own forces in Afghanistan that have been under severe attacks by the Afghan Taliban. Hence they want to provide them unhindered passage to Pakistan side, as it would help shift the main theatre of war from Afghanistan to inside Pakistan. Americans themselves have been saying that 70 per cent of area in Afghanistan is out of their control.

The Pakistani Tabiban in S Waziristan backed by al-Qaeda are joined by a large number of foreign militants including a battalion of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chechens and Arab fighters. According to military sources the toughest resistance is expected from an estimated 1,500 battle-hardened Uzbek fighters, equipped with highly sophisticated weapons. “The Uzbek fighters face a do or die situation with the all-out army action in the hostile mountainous area,” a senior government representative maintained.

The uninterrupted flow of sophisticated arms and funding to the foreign militants in S Waziristan has also lured many criminals to join hands with them in challenging the writ of the state, defence experts say. The presence of various foreign and local militants in the rugged terrain of South Waziristan is estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000.

Officials in the military and civil bureaucracy are cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the operation. “Either these militants will run to Afghanistan, settled areas or stand and fight to the end,” is how one key NWFP government representative summed it up.

A seemingly more realistic view from a key office holder in Peshawar is: “We are half way in containing insurgency and hopefully by end of the year major military operations will be over and 2010 will be the year of consolidating the gains made in recovering the lost ground.”

Whatever the outcome, observers believe that operation in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan became inevitable. “It became imperative to go for a military operation in South Waziristan to regain the lost space that has been used as training ground for planning and executing attacks targeting key security installations of Pakistan including the GHQ,” the Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said earlier shortly after the launch of the operation.

Despite several attempts on Sunday The News was unable to get an official version from the Pakistan Army Spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas on this alarming development. However, when the US Embassy Spokesman Richard Snelsire was contacted by this correspondent and his attention was drawn to the question of vacated checkposts he remained non-committal. When a confirmation was sought and he was asked what had prompted this move, Snelsire said he had no clue about it. “I do not have information on that, and that is outside our purview,” he noted, adding that he had not seen any reporting on that.

Who has attacked Pakistan’s Defence Headquarter, GHQ? Who is the beneficiary? Is it just the work of Punjabi Taliban or they have committed it for someone else as mercenary? Has Blackwater done it with assistance from Punjabi Taliban? Is it a reaction against opposition by Pakistan Army to Kerry Lugar bill? Has the US gave message to army, don’t stop us meddling in affairs of Pakistani state, don’t become hurdle in Kerry Lugar bill, Let Zardari sell this country to Americans? Do the Waziristan operation fast and don’t hesitate to kill your own Pukhtoon Pakistani?

All these questions compose a hypothesis for a research on the topic of HGQ attack in the much relevant context of US meddling in Pakistan. A younger commenter Moin without digging the already present circumstantial evidences has suggested five good suggestions. I will past that at the end but before that let me share some news stories with you which should not be taken as evidences to give final verdict rather questions to do more fruitful research on the topic.

SINGAPORE: A long-planned operation to flush out the Taliban and Al Qaeda from South Waziristan is imminent, said the government on Sunday, and blamed Al Qaeda-backed militants for the attack on the military’s General Headquarters (GHQ).

“It has been decided, the civilian leadership has decided … the operation is imminent,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Reuters in an interview in Singapore.

Hours earlier, Pakistani commandos rescued 39 people taken hostage in an attack on GHQ.

Malik said members of the Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda were suspected to be behind Saturday’s attack, which ended a week when suicide bombers struck in Islamabad and Peshawar, killing more than 55 people.

“The man who has been arrested, his name is Osman. He is a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan guy, but we have some indications he’s also from Al Qaeda,” said Malik, who was in Singapore for an Interpol conference.

A security official in Punjab earlier said he believed Osman was from the Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi, and another security official said some of the men involved in the attack spoke Punjabi.

But Malik said it was too early to conclude that Punjab-based groups were involved in the attack.

The men who planned the Rawalpindi attack had hired a house for the last two months, where they had been living.

Malik said the planned offensive in South Waziristan was no longer a matter of choice. “It is not an issue of commitment, it is becoming a compulsion because there was an appeal from the local tribes that we should conduct an operation,” he said.

“The army chief has already been given the mandate to conduct an operation at an appropriate time … it is not going to be late, it will be as early as possible,” said Malik.

“We have information there are a good number of terrorists there,” he said.

PESHAWAR: The NWFP Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, has said that Friday’s suicide blast at the Soekarno Square, Khyber Bazaar, could have been the work of anti-state forces.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the information minister said the Peshawar blast could have been carried out in the wake of the Kabul blast outside the Indian Embassy.

He said that the attack on the GHQ was a symbolic warning on behalf of the militants to the government and the people that they had the ability and resources to hit any part of the country.

“It is time to take this threat seriously before it is too late. The much- awaited military operation should be launched in Waziristan Agency at the earliest so as to frustrate the nefarious designs of extremist elements,” the minister said. He said that the network of terrorists was inter-connected globally

ISLAMABAD: The security of the GHQ situated in the thickly-populated area of Rawalpindi stood exposed yet another time in the wake of the Saturday’s terrorist attack on it.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani halted the construction of the new GHQ in the federal capital last year when the federal government declined to provide assistance for the building of the complex in Islamabad under the pretext of economic meltdown. The armed forces and the federal government would review the decision to shelve the GHQ construction next month so that its construction might be restarted without any further delay.

The Army has decided not to burden the national exchequer for the construction since it intends to dispose of its precious lands and some other assets. The income that would be generated through a transparent system would be spent on the construction of the GHQ in Islamabad. In addition, the Army will contribute 25 per cent of the expenditures to the federal government for development purposes.

Well-placed defence sources revealed to The News that the GHQ’s compound is part of the capital’s master plan and about two thousand acres of land was earmarked for the purpose in Sectors E-10 and E-11. Former President General Pervez Musharraf laid the foundation stone of the GHQ in 2004 but no work could be started till 2006 but later it was shelved.

The existing GHQ does not fulfill the requirements of base needed for war planning and its execution. The planned GHQ in Islamabad would fulfill the criteria’s of the new and secure GHQ, the sources said

“The devastating terrorist assault on Pakistan’s military headquarters that ended Sunday after nearly 24 hours exposed the threat of extremist groups operating in the heart of the country and the vulnerability of its most sensitive sites, raising concerns over the security of its nuclear arsenal.”

[The international media is bent upon proving that if Pakistan can’t secure its Army’s Headquarter how can be its nuclear arsenals called safe? Read the news above and also the one uploaded as picture below which states that the US media has started propaganda against Pakistan Army]

Now the question arises is that what should be done. I am pasting here Aquib Moin’s write-up with thanks to Ahmed Quraishi. The words in brackets are mine.

Aquib Moin writes [GHQ Attack: Time to End Foreign Meddling in Pakistan] On October 10, 2009, we witnessed a deadly attack on the Pakistan Army GHQ in Rawalpindi. We take this as a direct assault on the national security, sovereignty, integrity and dignity of the State of Pakistan. We suggest and recommend that the following measures should at least be taken to respond to this serious attempt to sabotage Pakistan’s national security:

President Zardari and at least his erstwhile Interior Minister Rehman Malik should be thrown out of the avenues of power immediately and must be interrogated regarding granting mass-scale permissions for suspicious US personnel to enter Pakistan in recent months, allowing foreign ‘diplomats’ to carry illegal weapons in the Federal capital and permitting the suspicious activities of foreign security agencies like Inter-Risk, DynCorp, etc. and their possible link with today’s attack.[Gen Pervez Musharraf, who had better been a Meerasi instead of Army Chief, should also be trialed as this was he who had opened the door of US meddling and American terrorism]

All US and NATO supplies through Pakistan must be totally suspended until such time the US authorities cooperate with the investigations into the weapons and support to terrorists in the tribal belt coming from the Afghan soil. Washington should also ensure that there will not be any American intervention in any internal affair and that there will not be any American attempt/involvement/design that threatens Pakistan’s integrity, sovereignty and security.

Unnecessary expansion of the US embassy and the arrival of US personnel should be immediately suspended. We don’t need them to run our affairs. Suspicious security firms contracted by the US embassy and US military should be shut down with immediate effect. There should be tight check on the hire and purchase of property by foreign elements in Pakistan.

Strict scrutiny of the equipment coming into Pakistan, foreigners residing in Pakistan under the guise of NATO or US operations in Afghanistan.

A loud, clear and unanimous message should come from the entire media, politicians, Pak Army and all the four corners of Pakistan that those among us cooperating with foreign powers against Pakistani interest will not be tolerated.[In order to make this last step effective we would have say goodbye to our master America first, once we have kicked US the whole nation will fight the Pakistani Taliban militants]

I personally think it’s the work of Blackwater who might be assisted by Punjabi Taliban both paid by the US. The aim of attack is to give a message to Pakistan Army to not to come in its way, don’t become a hurdle in American expansionism in Pakistan. Don’t take action against crusader mercenary, Blackwater and not to oppose Kerry Lugar Bill.

The End Note; Pak Army has proved by successfully completing the operation that its the word’s professional army having the capability to fight any force whether they are Blackwater or their assistants Punjabi Taliban. Congratulate Pak Army, despite your controversial role in the war of terror and operation against own people, the citizens of Pakistan stand by you. Once you say goodbye to US war the whole nation will be part of the Pakistan Army.